In a major victory for citizen groups, the standing committee of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) yesterday put a stay on the purchase order of pesticides, which the civic body has been purchasing at higher rates.

The contract for the purchase of pesticide Tempephos 50 EC had come under the scanner after citizen group Sajag Nagrik Manch revealed last week that the civic body was paying twice the amount for the pesticides in comparison to the rate fixed by the state government.