EXCLUSIVE: Indore's Rs 1,074 crore AMRUT 2.0 Water Project Flagged In National Report For 'Zero Progress' Amid Crisis

Indore’s major AMRUT 2.0 infrastructure project — the “Augmentation of City Water Supply Scheme (intake, WTP, distribution)” — has been flagged in the latest National Progress Comparison Report. The report lists it among projects worth over Rs 100 crore that have shown no physical progress updates on the official government portal, raising critical questions on implementation under the AMRUT 2.0 scheme.The project, awarded at a Total Project Cost of Rs 1,074.14 crore, was designed to expand Narmada-based water intake, construct a major water treatment plant (WTP), and strengthen the city’s water distribution network. It forms a vital component of Indore’s planned urban water supply expansion under the national AMRUT 2.0 mission.Despite the high-value

contract and its crucial role in securing Indore’s drinking water supply, the national dashboard currently shows zero progress entries for this scheme. This lack of visible implementation details has triggered a red flag on monitoring and transparency standards for large-scale urban infrastructure projects in Indore.As Indore positions itself as one of India’s leading cities in sustainable urban management, the flagged status of its Rs 1,074 crore AMRUT 2.0 water project invites deeper scrutiny into execution timelines and accountability mechanisms for public water supply initiatives.

Also Read: Indore Water Contamination Crisis: Over 210 Hospitalised, MP CM Suspends Two Officials For Negligence

Indore Water Crisis Fallout

This comes at a time when public anger grows over alleged lapses in maintaining water pipelines in Indore what is officially known as one of the cleanest cities in the country. People began falling ill on December 29 after consuming contaminated water supplied to Bhagirathpura, a densely populated locality, which is now facing an acute diarrhoea outbreak leading to the loss of at least 10 lives and over 200 hospitalisations.Documents and statements cited in the case suggest that BJP corporator Kamal Waghela had flagged the issue of replacing water pipelines in Bhagirathpura as early as two years ago. He later wrote to the civic chief stating that an official file was created on November 12, 2024, but was allegedly held back for over seven months.Laboratory tests of water supplied through the Narmada pipeline in Bhagirathpura - the epicentre of the outbreak - have revealed alarming levels of contamination. According to officials, samples tested positive for fecal coliform, E. coli and Klebsiella bacteria, all of which can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea.