NMC’s garden department razes Abhyankar Nagar STP

Nagpur: Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) garden department has demolished a sewage treatment plant (STP) at Abhyankar Nagar garden. The department has neglected the mandatory norm of taking the general body’s permission for razing any property of the civic body.
The STP was in operational condition and never utilized it since its establishment. Thus, the NMC also incurred financial loss because of its demolition.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had constructed the garden at Abhyankar Nagar in 1997-98 when he was the corporator from the ward and also the mayor. The STP with installed capacity of 15,000 litres at the garden was to treat the sewage generated in the area and the water was to be utilized for watering the plants in the garden. The STP was situated towards southern side of the garden.
The garden department directed a private contractor to demolish the STP. The contractor first dismantled the machineries and equipments of the STP on Monday and then demolished the concrete structures on Tuesday. All machineries and equipments have been dumped at Ambazari garden as scrap.
Congress corporator Praful Gudadhe told TOI that it was a brazen violation if STP was demolished without the general body’s consent. “Even public toilets are not supposed to be demolished without the general body’s permission. Any structure owned by the NMC requires the general body’s consent to be demolished,” he said.
Gudadhe said no rules are implemented in South-West constituency despite it being the constituency of the CM.
An official from garden department said STP was demolished without permission because of complaints from residents of Abhyankar Nagar. “STP was never allowed to be operated by the citizens. Also, the people visiting the garden complained about threat to them, especially children, due to the abandoned machineries and structures of STP. Therefore, department approved the demolition of STP with works sanctioned for the garden in 2015. We will check and utilize the machineries that are in operational condition at other suitable place,” he said.
In 2013, the NMC had decided to bring the STP in operation during Save Nag river campaign. The garden department never took initiatives in this regard.
The STP was one among the three installed by NMC for the first time in gardens. Remaining STPs were installed at Ujjwal Nagar garden and Bharat Mata Garden. The STP at Ujjwal Nagar is in operation while that at Bharat Mata garden is non-operational. Then, two more STPs were installed at Barbate garden, Lakadganj and Shivaji Nagar garden couple of years ago. One STP was sponsored by a Japanese company was established at PMG Society in Narendra Nagar few months ago. Thus, four STPs are successfully in operation at the gardens situated in residential areas and facing no opposition from the citizens.
The NMC had taken a decision to install STPs at all its gardens in the city. It is mandatory for big commercial and residential buildings to construct STPs.