Pune: State govt has given administrative approval to Indrayani River Rejuvenation Project, which will be implemented by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).Civic officials, however, said ground work is unlikely to begin immediately as funds have not yet been allocated.A senior PCMC official said the civic body will now prepare a separate proposal for fund allocation and submit it before the municipal commissioner for approval because there was no allocation for the project in the annual budget for the year 2025-26. “All technical and environmental clearances are in place. The next step is to secure funds,” he said.Estimated to cost Rs 526 crore, the project aims to restore the Indrayani River, considered sacred by the warkari community, by making it pollution free and improving its ecosystem. The plan includes construction of new sewage treatment plants (STPs), flood mitigation and relocation works and beautification along the banks.The warkaris and activists have been raising concerns over the pollution in the river as white toxic foam is often reported in the river near Alandi.Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and former CM Eknath Shinde publicly assured on multiple occasions that efforts will be made to restore the river’s sanctity during their visits to the temple towns of Alandi and Dehu.The project will be implemented under the Centre’s AMRUT 2.0 scheme, with the state and central govts jointly funding 50% of the cost. PCMC will bear the remaining 50% expenditure. The PCMC officials said they are also following up with state and central govts for early allocation of funds from their share.The civic body already received approval from the State-Level Technical Committee (SLTC) in Sept for two proposed STPs along the river, which were part of the project, and environmental clearance in Sept last year.For years, the warkari community and local residents have demanded concrete measures to clean and rejuvenate the Indrayani River. The river originates from Lonavala and passes through the jurisdiction of various local bodies, PMRDA and PCMC. While PCMC is implementing the project within their limits, PMRDA has also planned a similar initiative in their limits.
