NMC vows not to dig roads for 5–6 years after Kumbh

Nashik: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Friday announced that roads across the city would not be dug up for five years after the ongoing infrastructure projects linked to the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027 are completed.The announcement comes as large sections of Nashik remain dug up because of simultaneous works by multiple agencies, severely impacting commuters. Civic officials said, "The disruption is part of a planned infrastructure overhaul being carried out ahead of the mega religious event, and not a series of ad hoc projects."Large-scale works are under way on 28 major roads across the city, including several arterial corridors. The works include underground utility shifting, road widening, concrete and asphalt surfacing, construction of medians and footpaths, and improvement of road connectivity.The local civic body has begun to implement a comprehensive utility duct system along major corridors to ensure that newly built roads are not repeatedly dug up in the coming years. Once completed, all service lines such as water supply, sewerage, power cables and telecom lines will be routed through a common underground duct, eliminating the need for frequent road digging for maintenance or new connections.NMC's engineer Sanjay Agrawal said all works are being executed in a coordinated and systematic manner, with multiple agencies working simultaneously rather than in phases. "Once the underground works are completed, road resurfacing will be taken up. All works are planned to be completed before the Kumbh," he said.Among the key stretches witnessing major upgrades are Gangapur Road, Trimbak Road, Ambad MIDC Link Road, Lam Road, Jail Road, Dindori Road, Wadala Road, Pune Road and Peth Road. Trimbak Road sections from Papaya Nursery junction to XLO junction are being developed with PQC concrete roads, medians and footpaths, while stretches from Khadkali signal to ITI and ahead towards Pimpalgaon Bahula are undergoing white-topping, widening and cycle track development. Several other routes are seeing divider installation and footpath works to improve long-term traffic capacity.The NMC has appealed to agencies to work in close coordination and urged residents to cooperate during the temporary hardship, assuring that the completed infrastructure will spare the city from repeated road chaos for years to come.