Rs 42 crore more for Nagpur winter session prep amid drought; PWD outlay reaches Rs 129 crore

The drought in the state is worsening by the day, and conditions are feared to deteriorate further in most areas in the coming days. Despite this, no concrete measures are reportedly being implemented by the state government. Departments of the administration are also being told to cut expenditure.

Meanwhile, the cost of preparing for the Winter Session 2026 of the legislature in Nagpur has suddenly been raised by Rs 42 crore. The increase has reportedly been made for necessary additional works. With this, the Public Works Department's (PWD) total expenditure on preparations for the session has reached Rs 129 crore. The issue is likely to heat up politically.

In August, the PWD had drawn up an initial estimate of Rs 145 crore for the session's preparations. Later, as the severity of the drought grew, all departments were told to reduce expenditure. The department's revised expenditure was then brought down to Rs 87 crore.

Two days ago, however, the PWD again approved Rs 42 crore for additional necessary works. As a result, the department's expenditure on preparations for the session has now gone up to Rs 129 crore.

For the session in Nagpur, the PWD spends on repairs and painting of various government buildings. Money is also spent on putting necessary facilities in place at Ravi Bhavan, Nag Bhavan, Vidhan Bhavan and other administrative buildings. Work is also under way on roads in the Civil Lines area. The question now being raised is whether this spending is truly necessary given the drought in the state.

Against the backdrop of the drought, the government had taken some decisions to cut expenditure. State officials and employees were appealed to deposit one day's salary in the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. The state government decided to cut government expenditure by 20 per cent. All departments were also told to avoid non-essential spending.

On one side, then, there are government instructions to cut spending in view of the drought, and on the other, the session's expenditure has been raised by Rs 42 crore in the name of additional works. This has raised the question of whether the spending-cut rules do not apply to the PWD.