NAGPUR: Realizing its responsibilities, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has announced a 15-day 'Save Nag River' campaign commencing from May 1, Maharashtra Day. Mayor Anil Sole convened a meeting of all party group leaders on Tuesday and managed to get support from everyone to make the campaign a grand success. Meanwhile, the civic body kicked off the activities by serving notices to around 150 households for discharging sewage into the river, and also commenced cleaning of the riverbed.

Sole told TOI the campaign aims to clean and conserve the river, but the main motive will be to garner public participation for the cause of city's iconic river. After inaugurating TOI-MT's Save Nag River - My City, My River campaign on the eve of Holi, Sole had taken a pledge to make all efforts to ensure Nag River gets back its lost glory.

During the group leaders' meeting, Sole said a good environment has been created in the city for cleaning up the Nag River. "NMC will undertake a campaign from May 1 to 15, taking advantage of the positive response towards the river. All sewage inlets should be plugged and diverted to underground sewage network. The health department should start serving notices to encroachers and also households discharging sewage into the River. At the same time, officials should also ensure proper homework to prevent any new dispute. Works should be taken up by NMC if the sewage lines are far from households along the River," he said.

Sole has also convened a meeting of corporators from all five zones through which the river passes, to guide them about the campaign and public participation. The meeting will be held on Wednesday at Town Hall.

Deputy director (health) Dr Milind Ganvir told TOI notices have already been issued to around 150 households in the five zones situated on the banks of the river. "Another 400 notices are ready and will be served in the coming days. Two machines have been engaged to clean the riverbed from both directions, Pardi and Ambazari lake," he said.

Leader of opposition group Vikas Thakre was not present at Tuesday's meeting as he was out of town. Talking to TOI, Thakre said it is the responsibility of NMC to conserve the river. "We are ready to lend all possible help to the administration to clean the river. First, the health department should stop causing pollution and also ensure citizens do not dump garbage or sewage," he said.

Special officer for rivers and lakes Mohammed Israil has prepared the plan to undertake treatment of sewage flowing into the river through 'graben structure' technology on 30 meter stretch. "Pilot project will be taken on stream flowing through Civil Lines. The system will be introduced on all 30 big nullahs flowing into the river once it is proven to be successful," he said.

During Tuesday's meeting, NCP group leader Prakash Gajbhiye said the urgent need was to demolish illegal parking slab constructed on Nag River by NIT at Daga Layout. "Citizens are facing great inconvenience due to water stagnating and causing mosquito menace. Sewage system should be laid in layouts, especially in slum areas, to conserve the river," he said.

Municipal commissioner Shyam Wardhane directed the health department to ensure plugging of sewage inlets discharging into the river immediately.

Deputy mayor Sandip Jadhav, deputy ruling party leaders Neeta Thakre and Munna Yadav, BSP group leader Murlidhar Meshram, NCP leader Duneshwar Pethe, BRP-BMS leader Raju Lokhande, corporator Sudhakar Kolhe and NMC officials were present at the meeting.

Meanwhile, 11 NGOs and social organizations have appreciated NMC's plan to conduct a campaign and declared their support.