Nagpur’s ₹1,927-crore Nag River rejuvenation project has received an initial funding approval of ₹61.96 crore from the Centre, the Maharashtra government and the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, providing financial support for work aimed at tackling pollution and restoring the river’s ecological condition.
According to information reported by the Times of India and attributed to NMC sources, the first tranche will be released through the Centre’s SNA-SPARSH system. The fund-management mechanism is intended to improve transparency and streamline government payments for approved project expenditure.
The state environment department said transactions would be routed through the Reserve Bank of India so that the funds are transferred through the prescribed system. The approved amount will be shared by the three participating agencies according to their respective contribution ratios.
The Centre will provide ₹37.18 crore, representing 60% of the approved tranche. The Maharashtra government’s share will be ₹15.49 crore, or 25%, while the NMC will contribute ₹9.29 crore, accounting for the remaining 15%.
The ₹61.96 crore is part of the larger Nag River rejuvenation plan, which is intended to address contamination and improve the condition of the river as it passes through Nagpur. The river is closely associated with the city’s history but has suffered from pollution over the years, making its restoration dependent on coordination between central, state and municipal authorities.
The funding approval follows a prolonged wait and is expected to help move the project forward. The NMC sources cited in the report said more than ₹78 crore in consultancy-related expenditure for the larger project would be borne directly by the Centre. Other works under the rejuvenation plan are to be taken up through separate components.
The use of SNA-SPARSH places the immediate focus not only on the availability of funds but also on how project payments are processed and tracked. The state environment department’s stated routing of transactions through the RBI is intended to ensure that the first tranche reaches the project through the prescribed financial system.
Further implementation will depend on the release and utilisation of the approved funds, the division of the remaining works into separate components and continued coordination among the Centre, Maharashtra government and NMC.
