Pune Cantonment's Multi-Level Parking Project Stalled for Four Years: PCB Seeks Contractor's Explanation

The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) has sought an explanation from a private contractor over the prolonged delay in completing a multi-level parking facility on Coyaji Road. The project, which has been stalled for nearly four years, was originally expected to be completed by 2020.

The move comes after the board received nearly ₹4 crore as service charges linked to the project, prompting concerns among officials over the lack of progress on the ground. The facility, intended to ease parking congestion in the busy cantonment area, was launched in 2018.

First the Covid-19 pandemic and later disputes between the PCB and the executing agency impacted the timeline of the project. So much so that construction activity stopped in 2021 and has not resumed since, officials said.

Senior PCB officials said that several notices have been issued to the contractor, Relcon Infra Projects Ltd., seeking a clarification and a timeline for completing the remaining work. “Despite repeated correspondence, the agency has neither responded nor submitted any concrete plan for executing the remaining work. This has left the project in complete uncertainty,” a senior official said.

What’s more, the long-delayed project has now run into another administrative hurdle, with key decisions regarding completion of the remaining work still pending before the board. According to official documents, the project has failed to move forward due to uncertainty over execution of the balance work and the contractor’s continued non-response. The matter was recently placed before the board along with related documents as officials deliberated on the next course of action, eventually deciding to seek a formal explanation from the contractor.

Officials said that the board administration had earlier issued letters on July 7, 2025, and December 19, 2025, asking the contractor to submit an affidavit-cum-undertaking stating that it had no claim over the completed portion of the project. The undertaking was meant to allow the board to use the existing structure and if necessary, proceed independently with the remaining construction work. However, officials said that the firm did not respond, further delaying the project.

In a parallel development, senior officials from the ministry of defence along with representatives of the southern command visited the site on March 16, 2026 to review the project’s status. Following the visit, the cantonment board received ₹4 crore towards service charges related to the project.

Subsequently, on April 16, 2026, the board issued another communication to the contractor seeking clarification on two issues — whether or not the agency was willing to complete the remaining work at the approved tender rates, and submission of a phase-wise cash flow statement for the project until completion. “The response is still awaited,” the document noted, underlining continued uncertainty over the project timeline.

The multilevel parking facility was conceived as a major infrastructure project to address rising vehicular pressure in the Pune Cantonment area, particularly in commercial zones and high-footfall stretches. However, administrative delays, contractual disputes, and pending approvals have significantly slowed its implementation.

Cantonment-based activist Rajabhau Chavan said that the prolonged delay is exacerbating parking problems in the area. “Unless the pending contractual and financial issues are resolved quickly, the project will face further delays, prolonging parking woes for residents and visitors. We want this issue resolved at the earliest and a positive decision taken in the larger interest of cantonment residents,” he said.