The political bastion of Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis — has been dealt a shocking blow. Under the Swachh Maharashtra Abhiyan (Urban) 2.0, the city’s ambitious ₹224 crore waste management proposal has been butchered to a skeletal ₹16.54 crore — a massive 92.6% cut.
Originally, the plan included a 940 TPD Bio-Gas Plant worth ₹169.2 crore and a 520 TPD Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at ₹44.2 crore. Both have been scrapped. What’s left? Just three transfer stations (₹4.8 crore) and a 150 TPD scientific landfill (₹11.74 crore) — barely a band-aid for the city’s growing waste crisis.
What’s worse, cities like Pune and Mumbai have secured full approvals for their solid waste projects, complete with bio-gas and MRF infrastructure. Nagpur, despite being led by the CM himself, has been shortchanged — raising serious questions of political favoritism and regional bias.
The approved ₹16.54 crore will be split between the Centre, State, and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). Any cost overruns? NMC bears it alone. Any savings? Returned to the government.
For a city promised development at the highest levels, this gutting of a much-needed project isn’t just disappointing — it feels like betrayal.
Nagpurians were promised a cleaner future. All they’ve received is a half-hearted nod and a mountain of unanswered questions. Is this just bad budgeting — or calculated bias?