The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), on Saturday, presented its Rs 6,202.99 crore budget for 2026-27, focusing on improving the city’s infrastructure, healthcare, environment, tourism and digital services without introducing any new taxes. The budget, presented by Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare before Mayor Neeta Thakre, includes major projects such as the Naag river rejuvenation, Ambazari Lake restoration, underground utility ducting, better waste management, a modern diagnostic and dialysis centre, a start-up incubation hub and AI-based citizen services.

 

It also proposes measures to improve water conservation, parking facilities, tourism, ward-level development and civic amenities while aiming to generate more non-tax revenue and end the financial year with a small surplus of Rs 50 lakh. Alongside the next fiscal year’s provisions, the revised financial estimates for the ongoing fiscal year 2025-26 also were laid before the general body at the Kaviwarya Suresh Bhat Auditorium in Reshimbag. The allocation features a projected revenue and capital receipt balance where the total initial opening balance is pinned at Rs 512.61 crore, carrying forward from the last budget, with expected fresh annual revenue generations touched at Rs 5,690.37 crore. The planned expenditures for the dynamic structural expansion of Nagpur are budgeted at Rs 6,202.48 crore, leaving an estimated financial surplus of Rs 50.18 lakh in the municipal treasury at the close of the upcoming financial year. Mayor Thakre lauded the fiscal layout as an all-inclusive, public-centric budget that ensures holistic socio-economic growth across every single citizen pocket without burdening local taxpayers with any new structural taxes or immediate hikes. The session was attended by prominent administrative figures, including Deputy Mayor Leela Hathibed, Ruling Party Leader Narendra (Balya) Borkar, Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar, Opposition Leader Sanjay Mahakalkar and other office-bearers.

 

Key structural and environmental policy implementations Underground ducting policy, digital integration To systematically clear the city’s skyline from messy cable webs and optimise underground space, the NMC is officially setting up a standardised Ducting Policy. Backed by an expansion of the 1,000 km fiber optic network laid out under the Smart City project in 2015, this model aims to regulate private utilities through dedicated municipal trenches. Private companies utilising these networks will pay subscription costs, introducing a recurring revenue channel for the NMC without any direct self-funding. Aggressive rainwater harvesting and ground water replenishment To tackle falling water tables, the NMC has mandated that all commercial consumers utilising more than 100,000 litres of water daily must install localised Effluent Treatment Plants

 

(ETP) or Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) inside their complexes. Simultaneously, 209 strategic roadside locations have been mapped out to deploy advanced Recharge Shaft rain-collection systems. Moving forward, the city has formalised a policy where rainwater harvesting systems are explicitly mandatory for all fresh Phase-5 cement road developments and localised residential projects. Strategic water abundance and future commercial bottling infrastructure Civic body currently maintains a highly robust supply architecture capable of delivering 750 MLD (Million Litres per Day) of raw water. Because this volume completely satisfies city’s immediate and baseline urban consumption requirements, the civic administration is shifting its focus toward high-yield resource optimisation rather than further grid expansion. To capitalise on this strategic surplus and create new non-tax revenue models, the standing committee has unveiled plans to establish the ‘Orange City Bottling Plant’ in the near future.

 

Leveraging green bonds for Nag river pollution plan The iconic Nag River Pollution Abatement Project is receiving a heavy fiscal push with an approved project outline of Rs 1,926.99 crore, funded through a cost-sharing pattern of 60 per cent Central, 25 per cent State, and 15 per cent NMC shares. To successfully raise its local capital component of Rs 304.41 crore, the NMC will issue Municipal Green Bonds worth Rs 200 crore. The network will cover 520 km of specialised sewer pipelines and three new modern sewage treatment set-ups. Comprehensive ecological restoration of Ambazari lake The preservation and environmental revival of the iconic Ambazari Lake has been elevated taken on the priority with a dedicated allocation of Rs 10 crore.

 

The NMC has constituted a specialised, high-powered oversight committee consisting directly of the City Mayor, municipal engineers, and local legislators. Bhandewadi legacy waste NMC has launched a scientific overhaul to manage the city’s waste at the Bhandewadi dumping yard, where an average of 1,400 tonnes of household waste is transported daily. A major component of this effort is the Rs 119.34 crore legacy biomining project under the Swachh Bharat Mission-2, which aims to clear 15.30 lakh metric tonnes of old accumulated waste; it has already processed 9.5 lakh tonnes and is on track to reclaim 19 acres of municipal land by June 2027. Public healthcare and civic amenities expansion Establishing integrated Diagnostic and Dialysis Centre The NMC is setting up a state-of-the-art Integrated Diagnostic and Dialysis Centre inside the Isolation Hospital campus at Mouza Jattarodi across 2,690 square meters.

 

The facility will host high-end diagnostic infrastructure including MRI, CT Scan, PET Scan, digital X-rays, and multi-pathology laboratories under a single roof. Pay and park traffic mitigation pilot To eliminate chaotic roadside vehicular congestion, the administration is identifying five primary high-traffic commercial roads to execute a pilot Pay and Park framework. This structural programme will regulate unorganised multi-vehicle parking blocks and ensure smoother pedestrian pathways. Enhancements in ward development funding The Standing Committee has declared a dedicated Ward Development Fund of Rs 25 lakh per elected corporator. Furthermore, an additional allocation of Rs 2.5 crore has been preserved for nominated members. To clear out backlogs from the previous fiscal timeline, a commitment fund of Rs 41.38 crore has been earmarked to seamlessly execute pending works that have already cleared regional bidding processes. Budget focuses on welfare schemes and digital governance

 

The NMC has announced several new welfare and digital governance initiatives in its 2026-27 budget, aiming to support students, women, job aspirants and improve civic services. One of the key schemes is the Mayor's Maher Yojana, under which women originally from Nagpur who have achieved success after marriage will be invited to the city during Makar Sankranti and honoured through a traditional 'Oti Bharan' ceremony. In memory of former Mayor Pushpa Ghode, the civic body will also provide free bicycles to 75 meritorious girl students from economically weaker families studying in municipal schools. To help students preparing for competitive exams, Sushma Swaraj Guidance Centres will be set up in every

 

Assembly constituency, offering library facilities and expert guidance at affordable fees. The NMC will also introduce digital classrooms and e-libraries in municipal libraries under the Pramila Mendhe International Language Programme, where students can learn Japanese, German and French to improve their career opportunities. On the digital front, the civic body plans to launch AI-powered audio and text chatbots to assist citizens with property tax and water bill-related queries. It also plans to establish a centralised and secure NMC Data Centre by bringing all municipal servers under one system, which may also generate additional revenue by providing storage services to other Government departments.