WITHIN a week of the launch of the Rs 1,900 crore Naag River Pollution Abatement Project, BJP MLC Dr Parinay Fuke strongly criticised the project in the Legislative Council. The project aims to clean and restore the Naag river by 2032. However, MLC Fuke argued that the deadline was unrealistic. He said he had worked in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for 10 years and believed the project would not be completed on time. While raising the issue of malfunctioning Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) along the Naag river, MLC Fuke demanded strict action against NMC officials responsible for poor performance.

 

He said that several STPs were not functioning properly and untreated sewage was still flowing into the river. Fuke also criticised the Government’s reply to the calling attention motion. He said the answer given in the House was incorrect and did not reflect the real situation on the ground. MLC Fuke’s criticism of the project, especially so soon after its launch, has surprised many. Sources questioned the timing and purpose of his statements on the project. While MLC Fuke insisted that he has been raising the issue for the past 10 years and has not received any solution, the fact that he chose to strongly criticise the project only a week after it was launched has raised eyebrows.

 

The project aims to stop pollution sewage, solid waste entry in the river and upgrade STPs to ensure clean water flow in the river with extensive new sewer lines. It may be mentioned here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had flown down to the city and laid foundation stone for the mega project way back in 2012. And it took the agencies involved in the project, NMC, National River Conservation Directorate and more importantly, Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), to get the project going. This project, funded substantially through a loan from JICA, aims to rejuvenate the city’s namesake river, that has long been reduced to a polluted water channel. The initial work order, dated October 28, 2025, has been issued to M/s Kanta Electricals India Ltd for a key non-sewerage component known as CP-5: Construction, Operation and Maintenance of Electric Crematorium at Mokshadham. This package carries a negotiated cost of Rs 1,26,46,000/-.