Nagpur: Facing rising pressure from contractors over delayed payments and slowing progress on civic works, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) plans to seek release of ₹472.52 crore in pending state grants through the District Planning Committee (DPC).The proposal is likely to be placed before the DPC, chaired by guardian minister and revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, at the upcoming review meeting.The pending funds relate to works undertaken over the past three financial years under state schemes aimed at strengthening urban infrastructure and basic amenities. These include road renovations, the conversion of tar roads to concrete, sewerage networks, stormwater drains, and garden development. Most works were sanctioned in the east, south, and south-west assembly constituencies, NMC sources said.The fund crunch has begun to affect execution. While the civic body had earlier taken self-affidavits from contractors to continue work despite delayed payments, contractors are now reportedly slowing progress as dues mount.Several projects have been delayed, including the reconstruction of retaining walls along the Nag river that were damaged in the September 2023 floods. Many remain incomplete nearly three years later, officials admitted.Under the Basic Amenities Development Scheme, works worth ₹5.96 crore were approved in 2023-24, of which ₹4.17 crore was released. However, only ₹35.52 lakh has been utilised, and ₹1.79 crore is yet to be received. No allocations were made under this scheme in the following two years.The largest shortfall is under the Basic Amenities Development Special Provision Scheme, with pending grants of ₹252.93 crore — ₹125.11 crore from 2023-24 and ₹127.82 crore from 2024-25.Under the scheme for notified urban services, ₹330 crore was sanctioned during 2024-25 and 2025-26, but only ₹112.2 crore has been released so far, leaving ₹217.8 crore pending.In total, projects worth ₹986.52 crore have been sanctioned since 2023-24. The NMC has incurred an expenditure of ₹511.16 crore, while ₹509.82 crore has been released, prompting it to seek the balance funds to ensure timely completion of ongoing works.
