Nagpur: For residents of Naik Layout in Subhash Nagar, overflowing sewage, choked drains and leaking pipelines have become a way of life despite repeated representations to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), intervention by senior political leaders and assurances from civic officials.On Wednesday, frustrated residents met municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar, alleging that despite pursuing the matter for nearly 3 years, the civic body’s Public Health Engineering (PHE) department and Laxmi Nagar zone officials failed to complete a sanctioned sewage line project. The commissioner assured them that he would personally visit the locality soon. Ignorant attitude of PHE dept posing health hazard now, said residents.Residents said the underground sewer line, laid over five decades ago, is too small to handle the present population, resulting in frequent choking, sewage overflowing into residential premises and stagnant wastewater around houses. Photographs from the locality show sewage accumulating in compounds, leaking pipelines and damaged areas where excavation work was left incomplete.The issue dates back to August 2023 when residents submitted a memorandum seeking a larger sewer line after a visit by then deputy chief minister’s honorary secretary Sandeep Joshi. In June 2024, another representation was submitted after no action followed. Residents claimed that while Devendra Fadnavis, then deputy chief minister, had issued directions to the civic administration, the project continued to remain incomplete.According to Lt Col (Retd) Aniruddha Deshpande, who has been spearheading the campaign, NMC sanctioned a project to lay a higher-capacity sewer line from Plot No 16 to Plot No 31. However, work stopped midway after reaching Plot No 19. Nine plots are still awaiting connection to the new network, while the partially commissioned line is reportedly getting choked because the old sewer line continues to discharge into it.Residents alleged that despite repeated follow-ups, including with the engineer concerned, the balance work has not resumed. They further claimed the contractor obtained completion signatures from a few residents even though the project remained unfinished.They also expressed disappointment over response of local corporator Nidhi Telgote, alleging that although she visited the locality, no concrete steps followed.Residents have now urged Commissioner Itankar to fix accountability, ensure immediate completion of the sewer line and initiate action against officials responsible for allowing a sanctioned public utility project to remain incomplete for years, leaving families to endure unhygienic living conditions.
