VNIT, PDKV reluctant to allot land for NMC's Rs415.79cr STP projects

Time of India

15 hours ago

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Nagpur: Two critical sewage treatment plant (STP) projects under the Nag River Pollution Abatement initiative have hit a roadblock, as both Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) and Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) are yet to allot land despite completion of detailed surveys.
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), in coordination with Tata Consulting Engineering (TCE), has proposed a 12 million litres per day (MLD) STP on 5 acre at VNIT and a 35 MLD STP on 6 acre at PDKV. The PDKV site, near Maharajbagh Zoo and adjacent to a newly constructed bridge opposite the metro corridor, has already been surveyed.
At a review meeting chaired by CM Devendra Fadnavis and Union minister Nitin Gadkari recently, municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari flagged the delay in land approvals which has stalled finalisation of key engineering packages under the Rs1,927 crore Nag River project.
Under this initiative, NMC aims to treat 92 MLD of wastewater through new infrastructure.
While a 45 MLD STP is being planned at Nari to treat sewage from Pili River, the proposed VNIT and PDKV STPs are crucial for treating Nag River pollution. Additionally, NMC plans to renovate its existing 5 MLD plants at Mankapur and Mokshadham ghats using the sanctioned funds.
VNIT has expressed reservations, citing possible disruption to students due to the 12 MLD plant, despite already operating a 600 KLD unit on its campus.
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To address these concerns, Fadnavis and Gadkari convened a review meeting last month, urging VNIT to cooperate in the city's broader sanitation mission.
"Both leaders urged VNIT to allow NMC and TCNE to conduct the site survey, which has now been completed. They also asked the consultant to assess whether the existing 600 KLD STP at VNIT could be scaled up for the proposed 12 MLD capacity and to study the compact STP model at Dharavi in Mumbai," a senior NMC public health engineering official told TOI.
NMC will soon submit the final design to VNIT's Board of Governors for approval. Meanwhile, PDKV has agreed to a joint inspection with NMC to finalise the 6-acre land, assuring full cooperation.
Despite the progress in planning, land acquisition remains the primary bottleneck for the Rs415.79 crore initiative, which is expected to significantly enhance sewage treatment capacity in central Nagpur. Currently, the city generates about 600 MLD of sewage, of which NMC treats around 330 MLD, while the Nagpur Improvement Trust handles another 63.5 MLD, the official added.