Nagpur: Serious questions have been raised over the proposed Zero Mile to Manas Square underpass project, with concerned citizens approaching the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, accusing the Public Works Department (PWD) and MahaMetro of pushing the project through in blatant violation of mandatory technical norms and safety guidelines. The intervenors have alleged that the project reflects gross administrative apathy, poor planning, and a potentially wasteful misuse of public funds.
In a scathing objection, the intervenors claimed that PWD and MahaMetro have failed to place on record several crucial documents mandated under the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) guidelines of 2000, 2010, 2014 and 2019. These include traffic and accident surveys, feasibility report, Detailed Project Report (DPR), fire safety clearance, drainage management plan, and even a preliminary survey. The absence of these basic documents, they argued, makes the project technically unsound and poses serious risks to public safety.
Gold Rate
28 Jan 2026
The intervenors questioned the very necessity of the underpass, pointing out that no official traffic survey has been produced to justify such a massive and expensive infrastructure project. Citing a private traffic study conducted between University Square and Zero Mile, they claimed that barely 8,000 cars use the stretch on a working day, a figure that hardly warrants an underpass of this scale. They further alleged that no accident survey has been submitted, raising doubts over whether the location even qualifies as an accident-prone zone requiring such intervention.
Adding to the criticism, the intervenors stated that no feasibility report has been submitted to establish the project’s technical or financial viability. Shockingly, even a Detailed Project Report (DPR), a fundamental requirement for any major infrastructure work, is missing from the record. The lack of a mandatory Fire Safety No Objection Certificate (NOC) was termed a grave lapse, especially for an enclosed structure like an underpass where fire hazards can turn fatal.
Drainage management emerged as another major red flag. The intervenors warned that no drainage plan has been submitted despite Nagpur’s recurring monsoon flooding. They cited existing underpasses at Manish Nagar, Narendra Nagar and Wardhaman Nagar, which routinely turn into death traps during heavy rains due to severe water-logging. Proceeding with new underpasses without addressing these failures, they cautioned, amounts to repeating dangerous mistakes at the cost of human lives.
The objections further alleged that the project was advanced without conducting a proper preliminary survey, in direct contravention of IRC norms. They also pointed out that the underpass passes close to Defence Department land and that permission from defence authorities was obtained only on November 28, 2025, and that too after objections were raised, suggesting procedural lapses.
Concerns were also raised about the project’s potential impact on Nagpur’s historical heritage, particularly Freedom Park, which could suffer irreversible damage due to construction activities.
Taking serious note of the allegations, a division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode directed the PWD to file its affidavit in reply within three days, by Friday, January 30. Simultaneously, the court asked the intervenors to submit an affidavit under Rule 7 of the Bombay High Court Rules, 2010, stating their willingness to bear costs if the court finds their objections frivolous or unwarranted.
Advocate Tushar Mandlekar appeared for the intervenors, while Advocate Deepak Thakre represented the Government. The matter will be taken up for further hearing after the PWD submits its response.
