Nashik civic body’s PWD and water supply dept at loggerheads over delay in Kumbh Mela road works

Nashik: Differences between the public works department and the water supply and drainage department of the Nashik Municipal Corporation have come to the fore over delays in key road projects planned ahead of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela.The issue surfaced during a recent review meeting with NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri, where PWD officials said road works could not begin because utility-related works are still incomplete. Taking cognisance of the delay, Khatri directed officials of the water supply and drainage department to complete all pending utility and repair works by April 30.During the meeting, PWD officials blamed the water supply and drainage department for incomplete utility-related works for holding up road construction. Water supply officials advised the PWD to start road works on stretches where no utility works by the water supply or drainage department were required, including Jail Road and some other roads, though the PWD has not started road works on these stretches. Officials from the water supply department also said road works could be taken up on three to four-km stretches of most of the major roads where water supply and drainage works had already been completed.As part of Kumbh Mela preparations, the Nashik civic body has planned road works on 28 major roads across the city at an estimated cost of around Rs 1,270 crore, with a stipulated deadline of March 2027. Work orders were issued to the contractors through the tender process, but the works have yet to begin. Half of the roads are to be concretised using white-topping technology.However, utility duct works, which began in Jan and were initially scheduled for completion by Feb 15, have been repeatedly extended. Extensions were granted until the end of Feb, March 15, March 31, April 15, and now April 30.NMC's PWD officials told TOI that they were unable to start road works because utility works are yet to be completed by the agencies concerned.When contacted, water supply department officials told TOI that during the meeting, they advised the PWD to start road works on roads where the water supply and drainage departments are not undertaking any works. They said that some stretches on various major roads had already been completed, and the PWD could immediately begin road works on such stretches.The officials added that utility works on some roads would be completed by April 25, and on other roads by April 30, except for three major roads."We are laying water supply pipelines on three roads — one from Jehan Circle towards Gangapur Road, another from Bardan Phata to Sula Wine Chowk, and the third from Vilholi to Laxmi Narayan Bridge via Pathardi Phata, Kala Nagar, Vaijay Mamta Chowk and Metro Mall. We will complete the works there by May 15," the officials from the water supply department said.They further said that the direct pipeline from the water treatment plant at Vilholi to Sadhugram and Nilgiri Bag WTP, with a total length of over 13 km, is a Kumbh-related project and would also be completed by May 15.The inter-departmental blame game raised concerns over timelines for major Kumbh-related infrastructure projects in the city. The differences among municipal corporation departments also highlighted long-standing coordination challenges within the civic administration, particularly for large infrastructure projects involving multiple departments. According to officials, such inter-departmental delays could have a cascading impact on deadlines if not resolved promptly.When contacted, NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri told TOI that utility works have been completed, and road restoration works are currently on. She said all road works would be completed by the March 2027 deadline.