Nagpur: The much-publicised slogan “Clean Nagpur, Beautiful Nagpur” has come under sharp judicial scrutiny, with the Bombay High Court taking suo motu cognisance of the city’s worsening sanitation crisis.
Calling out the stark gap between publicity and reality, a Division Bench of Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode observed that while hoardings and wall slogans promote cleanliness, the streets of Nagpur tell a completely different story — one of open garbage, foul smell, and growing hygiene concerns.
“Though we see hoardings and writings on the walls giving the slogan ‘Clean Nagpur, Beautiful Nagpur,’ in reality it has remained a slogan only,” the bench remarked in its order dated February 5.
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The court noted that garbage is lying unattended at numerous locations across the city, posing serious risks to public health. The judges referred to reports published in leading Marathi newspapers exposing the unclean conditions and civic negligence.
Rs 100 Crore Budget- Yet Streets Overflowing with Garbage
What makes the situation more alarming is that the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) reportedly has an annual budget of nearly Rs 100 crore allocated solely for garbage collection.
Despite this massive expenditure, the city continues to struggle with unmanaged waste, raising tough questions about accountability, execution, and monitoring.
The court did not mince words in expressing concern that such large-scale funding has failed to ensure even basic cleanliness standards.
Suo Motu PIL Registered
Taking the matter seriously, the bench appointed Advocate Y.N. Sambre as Amicus Curiae and directed him to draft a detailed petition under the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) Rules, 2010.
The Registry has been instructed to register the newspaper reports as a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation (SMPIL) and provide necessary case papers for further proceedings.
The matter is scheduled for hearing on February 24, where the court is expected to seek answers on why Nagpur’s cleanliness campaign appears strong on paper but weak on the ground.
The court has now put the spotlight squarely on civic authorities. If Rs 100 crore cannot keep streets clean, citizens are bound to ask — where is the system failing?
The next hearing may well determine whether this becomes a turning point for Nagpur’s sanitation system or just another file in the archives of civic promises.
