With elections approaching, road asphalting work across Nagpur has intensified. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has planned to asphalt nearly 53 km of city roads, with major resurfacing now underway in Manish Nagar and Narendra Nagar. Ironically, these are the same areas where critical drainage upgrades under the AMRUT-2 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme are still in progress.
Under AMRUT-2, the main chamber line has already been laid, and work on individual house-chamber connections is ongoing. However, simultaneous asphalting has created a clear overlap between the two projects. Once the drainage department begins connecting households to the new network, the freshly asphalted roads will inevitably have to be dug up again. This poor sequencing of work is expected to slow down progress and escalate costs.
Residents highlight that many housing societies in both localities struggle with ageing, damaged drainage systems. Several still rely on septic tanks, making the AMRUT-2 upgrade essential for long-term urban health. Despite this, the pre-election push for visible road development has taken precedence.
Local resident Gautam Gannare expressed frustration, saying that asphalting first and digging later reflects poor planning, resulting in wastage of public money and unnecessary inconvenience to citizens.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com