India, Sept. 9 -- The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has stepped up action against private street-sweeping contractors, issuing show-cause notices to four firms and imposing penalties for lapses in maintaining cleanliness across the city.

The action, initiated by the civic body's Solid Waste Management Department, is among the first major moves to hold private contractors directly accountable for poor performance. The PMC has also strengthened monitoring to check contractors' work daily and ensure compliance with prescribed cleanliness standards.

The PMC issued show-cause notices between September 1 and 4 to contractors handling work in major ward clusters, including Sinhagad Road, Hadapsar, Yerawada and Dhayari. The contractor respon...