MVA clears the project Rs 2,413cr Nag River | Nagpur updates
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on Wednesday approved the revised cost of the ambitious Nag River Pollution Abatement Project in what appears to be a move to take control of the BJP-ruled Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and its projects. Pili River now finds a reference in the name of the town, too.
The cabinet also created a high-profile ministerial committee to conduct and track the initiative. While the Committee comprises three District Congress MLAs, none of the four BJP MLAs in the city find a place within it.
The project’s name was changed following a recommendation from guardian minister Nitin Raut who formed the committee along with home minister Anil Deshmukh and minister of sports and youth welfare Sunil Kedar.
Minister for the Environment Aditya Thackeray is a participant too. The local manager is the secretary to the membership.
The cabinet approved the 25 per cent state share of Rs 2,412.64 crore’s total revised project cost. “The project to reduce Nag River pollution had been approved by Union Jalshakti Mantralaya and National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD). The project will be introduced through the NMC. Core, power, and NMC will bear 60%, 25%, and 15%, respectively, “read the note from the cabinet.
The center’s contribution will be crore Rs 1,447.59, state will contribute crore Rs 603.16, and crore NMC Rs 361.89. “Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will receive a loan of Rs 1,864.30 crore from the Centre. State repayment of Rs 403.90 crore will come from the JICA loan and must pay the Rs 199.26 crore balance. Cabinet has assured Jalshakti Mantralaya of repaying the loan, as well as its remaining portion, “added the cabinet note.
The cabinet also approved the decision to “constitute a coordinating committee under Nagpur guardian minister Nitin Raut for project execution and supervision.”
Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench considered media reports of high-level pollution in Nag River polluting Kanhan and Wainganga rivers in 2010, and Gosikhurd project as a suo motu PIL and directed the civic body to rejuvenate the iconic river-turned nullah of the region.
In 2011 the NMC, which then also had a majority of the BJP, initiated the bill. When Devendra Fadnavis became chief minister, the project gained momentum and Nitin Gadkari was elected MP in 2014. The proposal was approved in 2015 by the state and centre.
Gadkari, Fadnavis and Pravin Datke, the president of the city of BJP, tried to implement the initiative. The NMC found last year that the cost of the project had gone up. The Center approved the revised cost in November last year and sent it to the state for a nod.
Raut told TOI Wednesday had been a historic day. “Project name has changed to Nag and Pili River Pollution Abatement Project. Pili river was part of the project but wasn’t highlighting its name. The approval with the Government was pending. I got an approval from the cabinet in the greater interest of the city, “he said.
A good stretch of the river Pili falls within the North Nagpur constituency of Raut.
Raut said that there is no role for BJP MLAs and NMC office bearers to play in the project, “they are not in committee.”
First, an agreement will be signed between Centre, State and JICA on obtaining the amount of the loan in instalments. So NMC floats tenders and runs the project.
