The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has suspended Chief Engineer Pramod Ombhase, who heads the civic water-supply department, and ordered a departmental inquiry against him following his arrest by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in an alleged bribery case, Inshorts reported on Friday. Ombhase was arrested for allegedly demanding a bribe to sign a tender file worth Rs 36 lakh; the allegation has not been proved and the case is under investigation.

Source: Inshorts

A case was registered against him at Sant Tukaram Nagar police station on October 29 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. He remains in magistrate custody until November 14, according to the report.

Source: Inshorts

The arrest has widened into a broader accountability debate in the twin city. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation (PCCHSF) has formally petitioned the Chief Minister and the municipal commissioner seeking publication of a white paper on the city's water supply, Mirror Now reported. Federation president Sachin Londhe questioned the basis on which the civic body issues water-availability certificates for new construction projects while residents face scarcity — a claim the federation has made, not a finding against any official.

Source: Mirror Now

Activist Maruti Bhapkar has written to the municipal commissioner and the ACB superintendent for the Pune region alleging that he had raised concerns about Ombhase and his associates in 2024 without the matter being pursued, and has demanded a detailed investigation into projects worth between Rs 2,500 crore and Rs 3,000 crore executed under the chief engineer's supervision. These are Bhapkar's allegations and figures, reported as his demand for scrutiny, not as established facts.

Source: Mirror Now

BJP corporator Sheetal Shinde has alleged that corruption in the PCMC extends beyond the water department, saying at least 12 municipal officials have been arrested by the ACB since the current municipal commissioner took charge, and has listed 12 instances he says warrant investigation. That claim, too, is an allegation by the corporator and has not been independently established.

Source: Mirror Now

What happens next: the departmental inquiry ordered by the PCMC will run alongside the ACB's criminal investigation under the Prevention of Corruption Act, while Ombhase remains in magistrate custody until November 14. He is presumed innocent unless the charges are proved in court.