NMCG Approves Plan to Boost Urban River Rejuvenation Across India

29 Apr 2025 CW Team

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved the Action Plan 2025 for the River Cities Alliance (RCA), focusing on integrating river-sensitive urban planning across India’s expanding cities.

Launched in 2021, the River Cities Alliance is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, now with one hundred forty-five member cities. The Alliance promotes comprehensive urban river management, building institutional capacity and supporting Urban River Management Plans (URMPs).

This year’s plan will prioritise training for River-Sensitive Master Planning (RSMP), including onboarding RCA cities in Tamil Nadu. Five cities, including Kanpur and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, have developed URMPs. Twenty-five more plans will be prepared in the first phase, supported by the World Bank.

NMCG is also steering URMP development for Delhi to redefine its rivers as vital ecosystems. States like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal have formed committees to guide efforts.

Knowledge exchange events, thematic expert groups, and weekly case studies will further support the initiative. Public awareness programmes and financial advisory services will aid cities in sustainable river management.

Source: Press Information Bureau Delhi

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

Cabinet Approves Key Highway and Rail Projects in Bihar Region

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the four-laning of the 84.2-km Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur high-speed corridor, a key industrial region in poll-bound Bihar. The Cabinet also sanctioned the doubling of the 177-km Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat railway line, which passes through Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, at a cost of Rs 31.7 billion.The Rs 44.5 billion highway project will be constructed under the hybrid annuity model, a variant of public-private partnership. The Mokama-Munger stretch was the only remaining two-lane section of the 363-km Buxar-Bhagalpur corridor. Fou..

NGT Issues Notice on Bengaluru Twin Tunnel Project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices in response to a petition filed by Bengaluru Praja Vedike and others, challenging the Bengaluru twin tunnel road project. Petitioners claim the project was “hastily announced” and bypassed mandatory environmental impact assessment procedures.Notices have been served to the Karnataka Government, Greater Bengaluru Authority, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and project consultants.The 16.74-km twin-tube..

India’s Residential Sales to Dip Slightly in FY26

Residential sales in India’s seven major cities are projected to decline by up to 3 per cent year-on-year in FY26 to 620–640 million square feet (msf), amid a moderation in sales velocity, according to ratings agency Icra.In FY25, sales stood at 643 msf, down 8 per cent YoY, following a sharp contraction in new launches and moderated demand in the affordable and mid-income segments. This slowdown came after the sector posted a robust compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent in area sales between FY22 and FY24.Icra noted: “Having seen a strong upcycle, the sector entered an equilibrium ..