Nagpur: Just days after Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) Commissioner and Administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari imposed a strict ban on all road digging activities starting June 1, contractors and utility agencies appear to be flouting the order with impunity.
On Monday, fresh excavation work was spotted near Old Katol Road Square in the Mangalwari zone, where a private telecom firm was found laying underground cables. The activity flies in the face of Chaudhari’s May 27 directive, which mandated that all road restoration from earlier dig-ups be completed by May 31 and strictly prohibited new excavation during the monsoon season.
Gold Rate
03 June 2025
Following media reports of the violation, NMC Chief Engineer Manoj Talewar ordered the Mangalwari zone office to conduct immediate checks and initiate action against those responsible.
But the violations are not isolated. Unauthorised digging was also reported near the State CID office in West Nagpur and in the Narendra Nagar area, raising serious questions about enforcement and accountability across the city’s zones.
The May 27 review meeting chaired by Chaudhari had warned that any delay in restoring roads or new excavation activity post-deadline would invite steep fines, police complaints, and even criminal action against erring engineers. Yet, the ongoing works suggest that the threat has done little to deter the agencies or private contractors.
A major contributor to the disruptions is the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department’s ongoing sewerage work under the Pora River Pollution Abatement Project. Over 500 km of roads were dug up across the South-West, South, and Kamptee Assembly segments. As of now, only 100 km of road restoration has been completed.
“We have halted fresh digging in view of the ban,” confirmed PHE Superintendent Engineer Shweta Banerjee. “About 80% of restoration work is done, and efforts are on to complete the rest. Most pending patches are in South Nagpur and Kamptee.”
She added that only essential works—like emergency water pipeline repairs and strengthening of connections under AMRUT 1.0—are permitted during the rains.
Commissioner Chaudhari has also directed that no debris be left unattended, especially in slum clusters where sewer projects are ongoing. Contractors have been warned of fines if rubble is not cleared promptly. The Sanitation Department has been assigned monitoring duties to ensure compliance.
With the monsoon fast approaching, the NMC chief’s directive was intended to prevent flooding, traffic snarls, and public inconvenience. But the continuing violations show that enforcement on the ground remains a key hurdle, casting doubt over whether the civic body can truly hold defaulters accountable.
