A young RTI activist has alleged that the PMC is using cement pipes with bogus ISI marks for storm water drains to be laid at various spots in Sadashiv Peth.
The PMC road department has started laying the storm water drainage line at various places like Peru Gate Police Chowky, Bhave High School and Chitra Shala Press Junction in Sadashiv Peth. The faint ISI mark on these pipes is difficult to read, according to the activist.u00a0
Copy cat: Storm water cement pipes lieu00a0on the road with allegedly fake ISI mark
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RTI activist Satyasheel Jagdale has submitted a written complaint to the ISI and the Bureau of Standard of India (BSI) for using substandard cement pipes. Jagdale says the pipes appear to be weak as the edges of some pipes lying at the worksites are broken.u00a0Jagdale suspects that a majority of the pipes are of bogus quality as very few pipes on the road have an authentic, sharp ISI mark with code numbers.
A storm water pipe with original ISI mark and code numbers isseenu00a0on the road near Chitra Shala Junction in Sadashiv Peth
The activist says only some pipes near Chitra Shala Junction have the ISI marks with code numbers.u00a0“The ISI mark has a code number on top and at the bottom as per the norms,” Jagdale said. “Many ISI marks are on the pipes without the codes. These pipes also reflect substandard quality and the mark looks fake. The issue is important for citizens as these pipes will be laid underground. If they leak because of their bad quality, it is ultimately a loss to the PMC and the taxpayer.”
RTI activist Satyasheel Jagdale
Vinod Jain, another RTI activist, said, “The storm water drainage line at Mutha riverbed does not even carry the ISI mark.”u00a0Sadadhiv Peth falls under PMC Ward 50, represented by corporator Roopali Patil of the MNS.
“The existing work is being done in the budgetary provision of Rs 5 lakh,” Patil said. “We are getting a total Rs 20 lakh funding for the same soon. If the pipes are substandard and ISI marks on them are fake, we will raise this issue and demand action against the PMC and the contractor responsible for supplying this material.”
The other side
Refuting the allegations, Additional Commissioner (Roads) Pramod Nirbhawane said: “We place orders to different factories for making the cement pipes for the storm water drains. We have our own quality checking system, which involves third-party inspection. We will probe this matter.”
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