The Indian National Congress on Tuesday laid out its vision for Nagpur's civic future, releasing a comprehensive manifesto for the upcoming Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) elections. The party framed the contest as a fundamental choice between essential services and ornamental projects, directly targeting the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) record.
Core Promises: Relief on Basics and Daily Needs
The manifesto, a 20-point charter, is centered on providing tangible financial and civic relief to residents. The headline promises include free water supply of up to 30,000 litres per month for every household. In a significant move for smaller homeowners, the party has pledged a full waiver of property tax for homes measuring up to 500 square feet.
Further aiming to ease daily expenses, the Congress has promised free travel for women, students, and senior citizens on city bus services. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Harshwardhan Sapkal, while unveiling the document, stated the election must be contested on everyday concerns. "Nagpur wants real development, not musical fountains," he remarked, taking a clear dig at the BJP's focus on beautification initiatives.
Focus on Education, Sanitation, and Infrastructure
Beyond immediate relief, the plan outlines a robust civic agenda. A key educational promise is to establish one English-medium school in every municipal ward, offering free education. On public health, the party commits to an aggressive sanitation drive featuring twice-a-day garbage collection from all households, a dedicated mosquito-control program, and a permanent solution to the city's persistent sewage problems.
The "daily relief" package also addresses long-standing urban issues. It promises to convert leasehold plots of NMC, NIT, and nazul into freehold properties and provide ownership documents (pattas) to slum dwellers. The creation of 151 designated hawker markets and food lanes is also part of the plan to organize informal vending.
Infrastructure commitments include achieving pothole-free roads, implementing traffic management systems to reduce congestion, and executing long-term measures to prevent the annual monsoon flooding and waterlogging.
Congress Attacks BJP's Civic Record
City Congress president Vikas Thakre used the manifesto launch to critique the BJP's long tenure in the civic body. "BJP has been in power in the corporation for so many years, yet it failed to fulfil its promises," Thakre asserted. He listed rising taxes, expensive water bills, garbage pile-ups, and choked sewer lines as evidence of the incumbent administration's failures.
Thakre emphasized that the Congress would prioritize fundamental civic services over media-centric showcase projects. The party leaders stated this manifesto is central to their 'Mission 100' campaign for the NMC polls, presenting it as a practical roadmap for a cleaner, safer, and more functional Nagpur. They plan to take these promises to voters in every ward during the remaining campaign period, with education, water, and sanitation positioned as the core pillars of their appeal.
