POSSIBLY, it is time to remind the Nagpur civic as well as political leaderships that they are failing to fulfill the promise Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi had made to the city about rejuvenation of the Naag River -- during his last visit to the city nearly one-and-a-half years ago. The Naag River Rejuvenation was one of the projects the Prime Minister had promised to undertake in and around Nagpur. That promise is yet to be fulfilled by the local authorities and leadership. Hence this reminder. Of course, political leadership and civic administration had said sometime ago that some steps had been taken in the Naag River Rejuvenation project’s implementation. But those answers were, at best, half-hearted and half-baked -- and probably intended to somehow assuage the popular feeling in a sheepish manner. Such an approach does not solve any problem. On the contrary, it only complicates matters and leaves the people with a sense of deception.

 

This appears to be the case with the Naag River Rejuvenation Project. Every Nagpurian has a special relationship with the Naag River. For the loosefooter, the Naag River holds an extra-special importance since his childhood when he swam in those clean and flowing waters on several occasions (including flood times). Sitting on the banks of the Naag and dipping his feet in its flow, the loosefooter had seen many a young dreams of good life. The Naag River, thus, was an integral part of his growing-up process. Later, the loosefooter also saw the deterioration of the Naag river when people and the authorities joined hands in the most callous endeavour of converting the stream into a massive gutter over time.

 

It is common knowledge now how the Naag has fallen on bad days -- thanks to our own misdeeds. It must be admitted that the civic administration and the political leadership made some attempts to rejuvenate the Naag river in the past few decades, to little avail. The failure was the outcome of half-heartedness of attempts that were never planned well. Mixed with half-heartedness was also a careless attitude of the city’s political leadership that never took its own word seriously. Hence this reminder. Hence the reminder that the Naag is still crying its heart out. It is bleeding everyday, overflowing with filth of all kinds. Hence the ringing of the bell.

 

If the city has the temerity even to ignore the Prime Minister, then even gods would not be able to save it from sure disaster in the near future. The city which is considered as the biggest in Central India from Bhopal to Adilabad, reels under such apathy, then all the tall claims of the Government about caring for urban renewal will prove hollow and misleading. Hence the question whether a city of the size and importance like Nagpur can afford to give a short shrift to the Prime Minister’s assurance to common people about the rejuvenation of the Naag river. It is time, therefore, the city rose to its full stature and fulfill the PM’s promise about the rejuvenation of the Naag. Failing this, the city of Nagpur will get counted among the places -- very few in number -- that gave a short shrift to the Prime Minister on an important project.