The Swami Vivekananda memorial near Ambazari Dam is not responsible for floods, as per a technical report submitted by the Central Water and Power Research Institute (CWPRS), Pune. Acting on the findings, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has recommended to the State Government to regularise the memorial, informed Municipal Commissioner Dr Abhijeet Chaudhari in an affidavit filed before the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court. The affidavit was submitted in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the floods in Nagpur city. CWPRS had conducted a detailed physical model study to check whether the memorial obstructs flow of water or contributes to flooding.

 

The report concluded that the structure does not cause any changes in water flow or levels downstream of the Ambazari Dam. It also clarified that the memorial was not responsible for the severe flood that hit the city on September 23, 2023. Following the report, the Municipal Corporation wrote to the Urban Development Department on May 7, 2025, recommending the regularisation of the memorial. NMC also requested the Irrigation Department to exempt the structure from earlier government resolutions. The final decision from the State Government is awaited. The affidavit also stressed that the NMC is fully responsible for the 250-year-old Ambazari Dam and is following all provisions under the Dam Safety Act, 2021. Work worth Rs 21.07 crore has been planned in four phases for the dam’s safety, strengthening and beautification. Of these, three phases are completed, and new escape gates are being installed by the Irrigation Department. Adv Tushar Mandlekar represented the petitioners.

 

 

NMC has formed a Dam Safety Unit as required by law but lacks qualified engineers. A request to the State Dam Safety Organisation for technical experts was made on April 3, 2024, but no reply has been received yet.