The Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA) has sought post-facto approval from the state government for ₹3.67 crore spent on refilling and leveling the excavated land at Deekshabhoomi, after the controversial underground parking project was scrapped last year amid massive public protest.
According to officials, the proposal aims to regularize the expenditure and avoid audit objections, as the work was executed without prior administrative sanction. Excavation and partial foundation work for the parking facility had already cost ₹21 crore before it was halted on July 1, 2024, following fierce opposition from Buddhist followers and the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti. Protesters argued that the underground structure violated the sanctity of the revered monument where Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956.
Responding to public sentiment, the then Deputy Chief Minister (now Chief Minister) Devendra Fadnavis ordered a halt to the project and promised further action only after consultations with the Samiti. Following this, an NMRDA meeting on July 6, 2024, decided to refill the excavated site before Dhammachakra Pravartan Din for devotees’ safety.
The refilling and compaction work, supervised by the Civil Engineering Department of VNIT Nagpur, cost ₹3.67 crore (excluding GST) and was completed ahead of the October 12, 2024 celebrations.
The NMRDA’s note justifies the expense as a safety and dignity measure, saying post-facto approval will ensure audit compliance and financial transparency — in what officials call “a project that went from digging for development to refilling for faith.”
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