New Projects

Telangana government has proposed urban infrastructure projects worth nearly Rs 40,000 crore under the Centre's Urban Challenge Fund (UCF), which has a Rs one lakh-crore corpus announced in the Union Budget. The MAUD department submitted projects worth Rs 14,000 crore, while the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) proposed Rs 12,030 crore and Rs 12,000 crore respectively. HMWSSB's plans focus on drinking water expansion, sewage treatment, pipeline modernisation and reducing water losses in Hyderabad. The government has already sanctioned Rs 5,257 crore for an underground drainage system in Warangal, Hanamkonda and Kazipet under the UCF model. Karimnagar Municipal Corporationhas sought Rs 895 crore for roads, skywalks and non-motorised transport facilities. Telangana is also pursuing support through SASCI, AMRUT 2.0 and Swachh Bharat Mission. Major emphasis has been placed on completing Godavari Drinking Water Supply Phase-II and III projects, estimated at Rs 7,360 crore, to secure Hyderabad's future drinking water needs and support the Musi rejuvenation programme. Apart from the Godavari projects, HMWSSB has sought Rs 2,363 crore to supply treated STP water to Chandanvelly Industrial Park under the Water Circular Economy initiative. It also proposed Rs 282 crore for replacing the Osmansagar pipeline system, Rs 722 crore for Manjira pipeline modernisation, and Rs 550 crore to reduce water losses in Hyderabad.

The Maharashtra government has approved the transfer of three land parcels measuring a total of 52,851 sq. mtrs. to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for the ongoing Mula-Mutha Riverfront Development Project. The decision was cleared during a state cabinet meeting and is expected to accelerate the ambitious river rejuvenation initiative in Pune. The transferred plots include an 11,015 sq. mtrs. stretch between Sangamwadi Bridge and Bund Garden Bridge, a 34,128 sq. mtrs. parcel at Mundhwa Botanical Garden, and a 7,700 sq. mtrs. land parcel in Mundhwa belonging to the Women and Child Welfare Department. Civic officials said the land handover would help improve river conservation, beautification, and public infrastructure along the riverbanks. Mayor Manjusha Nagpure welcomed the move, while Standing Committee Chairman Shrinath Bhimale said the project would progress faster. The Standing Committee also approved extending the riverfront development from Mundhwa to Manjari, alongside proposals linked to waste management and heritage water supply conservation.

Megha Engineering & Infrastructures has emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) for an irrigation infrastructure contract floated by the Tapi Irrigation Development Corporation (TIDC). The proposed contract involves survey, investigation, and construction of overflow and non-overflow sections along with earthen dams at nine locations across the Nar Par and Auranga river basins. The identified sites include Umberpada, Sarnyawan, Pratapgad, Rakshasbhuvan, Milan, Ghodi, Ukhedmal, Sawarpada, and Devmal. With a bid value of Rs 3,897.9 crore, MEIL is well-positioned to improve water storage capacity, strengthening irrigation infrastructure, and enhancing water resource management across the region. Once executed, the dams are expected to support agricultural productivity, reduce seasonal water shortages, and improve long-term water availability for rural communities. The initiative reflects ongoing government efforts to expand irrigation networks in Maharashtra's river basin regions to support sustainable agriculture and rural development.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has announced that the detailed project report (DPR) for the long-pending Mekedatu Project has been prepared and will soon be submitted to the Union government for approval. Speaking in Kollegal in Chamarajanagar district, the Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Water Resources Minister said the state government has already opened a dedicated project office and initiated land identification for compensatory afforestation linked to forest areas expected to be submerged by the project. The foundation stone for the Mekedatu project will be laid after receiving necessary clearances from the Centre. The proposed Mekedatu balancing reservoir project is considered strategically important for improving drinking water supply and water management in southern Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru, while also supporting power generation and river regulation.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved Used Water Management Projects worth Rs 37.96 crore for Baramulla and Rs 34.43 crore for Rajouri. The move is aimed at strengthening sanitation infrastructure and address wastewater management issues. The projects, cleared under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0 CAPEX component, aim to ensure scientific sewage treatment, reduce pollution in water bodies, and improve public health. The Housing and Urban Development Department prepared the detailed project reports (DPRs), which were technically vetted by the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Srinagar. Both projects will adopt sequential batch reactor (SBR) technology for efficient sewage treatment through a single-step biological process. The government plans to complete the projects within 18 months to establish sustainable wastewater treatment systems in the two urban areas.

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has issued the contract work for a project to augment water supply to residential areas along the Dwarka Expressway and localities of Palam Vihar, Sector 23, Udyog Vihar and DLF Phases 2-3 that are at the tail-end of its distribution network. The work will entail laying a master water pipeline, from the Basai treatment plant up to Shankar Chowk, with a capacity of 200 million litres per day (mld). A 1600mm pipeline will be laid, passing through Dwarka Expressway, Palam Vihar Road, Sushil Aima Road, Old Delhi Road, Udyog Vihar and DLF areas, officials said. The pipeline will.have a capacity of 200mld, while the expected demand in the area is around 141mld for the next couple of years. Work on the pipeline will be completed in one and half years, and during this period, a new water treatment plant at Basai would also become operational.

The AMRUT-2 Scheme has been initiated in Karnal, Haryana with an estimated investment of Rs 125 crore to strengthen water supply and sewerage infrastructure across newly added and regularised colonies as well as villages under municipal limits. The project follows the completion of the first phase of AMRUT, under which extensive sewer pipelines, sewage treatment plants, and intermediate pumping stations were previously developed in the city. Under AMRUT-2, new water supply and sewerage pipelines will be laid in multiple colonies including Kanika Vihar Extension, RK Puram Part-II, Sukhbir Colony, Vijay Nagar, Balram Colony, Phoosgarh, Shakti Puram Extension, Vikas Colony, and Meerut Road. The project also includes strengthening sewerage systems in areas such as Sirsi, Ambedkar Colony, Jhanjhari, Uchana, Dholgarh, and Guru Nanakpura. A key component of the project is the installation of around 20 new tubewells to improve drinking water availability and meet rising demand. A consultant has already been appointed to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) within three months, after which implementation will begin.

VA Tech Wabag has won a Rs 191.57 crore contract for commissioning of a 17 MGD wastewater treatment plant at Mitraon in Delhi. The contract includes design, engineering, construction and commissioning of the treatment facility along with sludge dewatering systems, pumping stations and associated pipeline infrastructure. Scheduled for completion within 21 months, the project aims to strengthen Delhi's wastewater management infrastructure and support environmental sustainability goals. Following commissioning, VA Tech Wabag will continue to manage operations and maintenance for 15 years to ensure performance reliability and operational efficiency. The facility will use advanced wastewater treatment technologies, energy-efficient systems, odour control mechanisms and green landscaping to ensure environmentally responsible operations. Officials said the project will improve urban sanitation standards and contribute to cleaner waterways across the capital. The project is expected to enhance urban sanitation standards while supporting long-term water conservation and resilience in the national capital.

Backbone Construction has emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) for an EPC turnkey lift irrigation contract in Chhattisgarh. The execution of seven lift irrigation schemes sourced from intake points on the Udanti River and the Lower Indra Reservoira, will involve the development of a complete distribution network up to 1-hectare chak, covering a planned culturable command area (CCA) of 8,800 hectares in Cluster-XXVIII. It also includes associated power system connectivity to ensure efficient operation of the irrigation infrastructure. The company bid successfully with a cost of Rs 289.68 crore. The project is aimed at improving irrigation coverage and agricultural productivity in the region by providing reliable water supply to farmland through a structured lift irrigation system.

The Telangana government is planning to develop an integrated waste processing facility, referred to as an eco town', near the Future City development region. The plants will help manage increasing waste generated from Hyderabad's Core Urban Region, which includes the city's three municipal corporations. The proposed facility will be established on around 87 acres of land belonging to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation in Siddapur village of Kothur mandal in Rangareddy district, outside the Outer Ring Road. Officials have clarified that the site is designed as an advanced recycling and waste-to-resource management hub rather than a conventional solid waste dumping yard. The eco town will include state-of-the-art processing plants for segregated solid waste and e-waste, with plans to initially set up a waste-to-energy facility that can utilise refuse-derived fuel from existing waste streams. Authorities stated that while the new facility may not reduce the volume of waste reaching Jawahar Nagar immediately, it will help ease operational pressure by improving processing efficiency.