Nagpur: The Maharashtra govt has released another 30 crore towards its equity contribution for the Nagpur Metro Phase-2 project. With the latest tranche, the state’s cumulative equity contribution reached 607 crore, accounting for over 60% of its total committed share of 998.20 crore, following the recent fund sanction by the urban development department.The fresh allocation forms part of the state’s equity commitment under the tripartite agreement signed between the Centre, Maharashtra govt and Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro) in Sept 2023.The official document states that the 30 crore has been released as an unconditional equity contribution from the 2026-27 budgetary provision for the project.With this release, the state’s cumulative equity contribution has risen from 577 crore to 607 crore. Earlier instalments included 40 crore in Oct 2023, 100 crore and 60 crore in 2024, followed by 90 crore, 227 crore and 60 crore in 2025. The state is yet to release the remaining 391.20 crore of its committed equity.The latest equity release comes as Nagpur Metro Phase-2 continues to gather momentum. The project spans a 43.8-km network with 32 stations across four corridors connecting Kanhan, Hingna, MIDC ESR and Transport Nagar, at an estimated cost of 6,708 crore. Earlier this week, the Maharashtra cabinet’s infrastructure committee approved a 1.4-km extension of the Kamptee corridor beyond the Kanhan River into Kanhan town.The proposed extension, estimated to cost around 310 crore, will increase the total project cost to over 7,000 crore, while extending the corridor to about 14.4 km and adding a 13th station. The proposal has now been forwarded to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) for final approval, following which work on the extension is expected to begin.Land acquisition for Phase-2 has also gathered pace, with over 50% of the required 9.04 hectares already acquired or processed. MahaMetro has secured consent to commence work on nearly 80% of the required land parcels, including defence land, with officials indicating that no major land-related constraints are expected to impact the project’s execution.MahaMetro has also completed the first balanced cantilever span over Uppalwadi, while similar critical structures over Pili Nadi on the Kamptee corridor, the Vena River on the Hingna corridor and the railway crossing on the Wardha Road-Butibori corridor have either been completed or are nearing completion.
