Nagpur’s rivers remain a disgraceful, stinking mess—despite over ₹5.65 crore spent in the last five years. The Nag, Pili, and Pohra rivers, which flow right through the city’s heart, have seen endless “cleaning drives” by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC)—yet black, sewage-filled waters continue to poison the city.
For 2024-25 alone, NMC has budgeted another ₹1.33 crore. But walk by any stretch of the rivers, and the truth hits you in the nose. Open drains still empty into the Nag river, the so-called “cleaned” banks are littered with garbage, and many areas remain untouched except on paper.
The rivers span 49.17 km, yet NMC claims they’ve been “fully cleaned.” Reality says otherwise—filthy flows, foul air, and collapsed retaining walls tell the real story. After the September 2023 rains, many riverbank walls gave way, flooding low-lying homes. With monsoon nearing again, repairs remain pending, and residents are left vulnerable once more.
A recent meeting chaired by Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule exposed another layer: stretches under NMRDA control haven’t even been touched. The minister has set a June 30 deadline, but it reeks of last-minute scrambling.
The 2013 public-participation model introduced by ex-mayor Anil Sole once showed promise—but was quickly buried under contractor-driven inefficiency.
It’s The Live Nagpur that has repeatedly exposed this farce: inflated claims, staged cleanups, and crores wasted with no accountability.
Until there’s real on-ground action, Nagpur’s rivers will remain flowing sewers, not scenic lifelines.
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