PCMC Commissioner Ashish Sharma said PCMC had to pay Rs 75 crore just for laying underground cables on a road construction project for which Rs 200 crore had been allotted under JNNURM. He added that it was not viable for the civic body to spend such a big amount on cables when there was no provision of funds from the Union government.

The state energy minister said is MSEDCL bears the expenses, other civic bodies would seek the same. “MSEDCL is now a company and cannot afford to pay local civic bodies for such work,” he said and added, “The MSEDCL had considered the demand as a special case and offered to share 50 per cent of the expenses. But it did not receive any response from both the civic bodies.”

Pawar has directed the officials of MSEDCL, PMC and PCMC to hold a meeting soon to resolve the issue.