MahaMetro has taken over the long-defunct Futala musical fountain project from Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and initiated restoration work, with the total expenditure now expected to exceed Rs 10 crore. The revival effort has drawn concern after a fresh order for replacement cables worth Rs 3 crore was placed, adding to earlier costs incurred on components that deteriorated during years of non-operation. Citizens are questioning the rationale of such expenditure as why should public exchequer be burdened for no fault of theirs. First and foremost, people were not taken into confidence while deciding the project, as legal challenge mounted, the project suffered and now to revive the same, again the tax payers money is going to be utilised, which hardly makes sense, feel Nagpurians. The project, conceived by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, had shut down before its inauguration in May 2023 after algae damaged the underwater cable network.

 

A subsequent study confirmed corrosion caused by microorganisms. Replacement cables procured earlier at a cost of Rs 3 crore remained unused and degraded due to prolonged disuse and heat exposure, necessitating another round of procurement from Daman following a technical audit by a French team that found extensive system damage. Ozonisation: MahaMetro has begun procurement of pump components along with cleaning, repainting and infrastructure repairs, while officials said ozonisation of lake water and continuous fountain operation would be adopted to prevent further biological damage.

 

The additional cable expenditure has raised questions over asset management and delay-related losses as public funds continue to be committed to a project that has remained non-functional for over two- years. The revival exercise also runs alongside unresolved environmental concerns, as untreated sewage continues to flow into Futala Lake, a matter currently before the Western Zone Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Discussions between Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) are currently ongoing as to setting-up a sewage treatment plant (STP). Experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have inspected the system and a French technical team is expected to visit later this month to oversee the repair process. However, the installation of STP will takes it own time, and in that case if the cables suffer further damage, then who should be held responsible is the moot question.