The city’s ongoing water woes have deepened as repeated pipeline damage by third-party contractors triggers a fresh crisis. In just five days, seven major pipeline bursts—linked to negligent construction activity—have disrupted drinking water supply to over 33,000 residents, prompting city-wide concern.
According to a media report, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has finally taken cognisance of the issue and begun filing police complaints against those responsible. NMC’s superintending engineer (PHE and water works), Shweta Banerjee, said, “At least three FIRs were registered at different police stations — two at Nandanvan and another at Lakadganj, for damaging the water supply network.”
The decision to initiate police action, following the directives of Municipal Commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari, signals a significant step by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to hold offenders accountable and curb such repeated acts of negligence. One of the most serious incidents involved a major rupture of the 500mm Kanhan feeder line near Vaishnodevi Chowk, caused by an MSEB contractor using horizontal directional drilling (HDD) — a high-risk technique frequently employed without proper safety measures.
Despite prior warnings, contractor Ajay Tripathi proceeded without approval from the NMC, leading to a major water leak and raising serious concerns about contamination, according to the police complaint filed by the civic body. In another incident, T&T Infra Pvt Ltd, working on behalf of the NHAI, damaged a 200mm pipeline near Hasanbagh Gate. This disruption left thousands of residents in Nandanvan, the KDK College area, and nearby slums without water. NMC’s Nehru Nagar Zone 5 has called for criminal action against the company
“This level of negligence is unacceptable. FIRs will now be routine against those damaging public utilities,” said Banerjee. In June alone, there were 18 such incidents, with seven reported between June 16-19 across the city, including Pratap Nagar Chowk, Bijli Nagar (Civil Lines), Hasanbagh Gate, Sharda Mata Chowk, Vaishnodevi Chowk, and Ravi Nagar Square.
Contractors such as BCC Transco, Shri Combines, and SS Communication have been named in separate FIRs, with many refusing to carry out repair work—forcing Orange City Water (OCW) to handle the aftermath. At Pratap Nagar Chowk, around 900 households were left without water for over 48 hours after a 150mm pipeline was damaged. In Civil Lines, the situation is even more severe, with 22,000 consumers affected due to a 700mm feeder line being ruptured. OCW had to dispatch emergency repair teams after the responsible contractor declined to intervene.
The crisis has worsened as demand for water tankers now exceeds supply, fueling public frustration. In response, OCW has called for strict coordination before any excavation using HDD or trenching methods and has submitted a recommendation to NMC for implementing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for pre-excavation utility checks.
While OCW works urgently to restore water supply, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation is making its stance clear: negligence by contractors will now invite criminal action.
Example:
June 16 – 8 PM, Pratap Nagar Chowk: A 150mm distribution pipeline was damaged by M/s BCC Transco during cable-laying work.
Around 900 residents of Telecom Nagar, Ramkrishna Nagar, Gawande Layout, Trisharan Nagar, Shastri Layout, Trust Colony, Central Excise Colony, and Pioneer Society have been left without water, with repairs pending for over 48 hours. On June 17 at 2 PM, near Bijli Nagar in Civil Lines, a 700mm feeder main was damaged by M/s Shri Combines during optical fibre cable laying work. The damage affected around 22,000 consumers in Reshimbagh CA, Hanuman Nagar CA, and Old & New Wanjari Nagar under Dhantoli zone. The contractor refused to carry out repairs, prompting OCW to deploy its own team. Later that day, at 4 PM near Hasanbagh Gate, a 200mm distribution line was damaged by T&T Infra Pvt Ltd during NHAI work, cutting off water supply to 4,000 residents in Hasanbagh, Nandanvan slum, the KDK College area, Venkatesh Nagar, Kavelu Quarters, and LIG-MIG Quarters. Repairs by the contractor are still pending. Again on June 17 at 7 PM, a 150mm pipeline at Sharda Mata Chowk in Gittikhadan was damaged by M/s SS Communication while working for Reliance Jio. As a result, around 500 residents in Mahesh Nagar, Mama Chowk, Ahbab Colony, and Borgaon (under Gittikhadan CA) are facing water disruption.
The contractor has not yet initiated repairs. On June 17 at 8 PM, near Vaishnodevi Chowk (in front of MIG Colony), a 400mm inlet feeder line supplying water to the Bharatwadi ESR was damaged by a contractor laying MSEB cables. As a result, around 3,500 residents in the Bharatwadi (Deshpande Layout) ESR command area were affected. Since the contractor refused to take corrective action, OCW’s emergency team was deployed to handle the repairs.
On the following day, June 18 at 8 PM, at Pratap Nagar Square, M/s BCC Transco once again damaged the Pratap Nagar (AMRUT) distribution feeder main during horizontal directional drilling (HDD) operations. Approximately 2,500 residents under the Pratap Nagar (AMRUT) ESR command area were impacted. The contractor failed to start repairs that night; work began the next morning and is currently in progress.
On June 19 at 9 AM, near Ravi Nagar Square, a 110mm feeder pipeline was damaged by M/s Nakshatra Joshi, an MSEB contractor. Around 800 residents are now facing water supply issues. However, the contractor has agreed to repair the leak, and the work is currently underway.
In response to these repeated incidents, NMC has begun filing FIRs against the contractors responsible for damaging water pipelines.
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