VARANASI: The municipal executive committee approved a revised combined budget of Rs 2,635.44 crore for Varanasi Nagar Nigam and Jal Kal on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with provisions for water supply, sewers, lanes and drainage. The allocations include Rs 1 crore for cleaning underground drainage in Varunapar, making the revision relevant to residents seeking relief from local drainage problems.
The meeting also decided that the municipal corporation would operate sewage treatment plants and sewer pumping stations itself. Its official announcement confirms both the revised budget for 2026 to 2027 and this operating decision. The available announcement does not name a date for the handover or identify each plant covered.
Residents with an existing civic complaint can continue to use 1533, the municipal helpline listed on the corporation's website. When following up a blocked sewer, leaking water line or damaged lane, give the locality and exact problem. Budget approval provides funding headings; it does not by itself give a repair appointment for an individual street.
What the revised budget covers
Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari chaired the executive committee meeting in the corporation headquarters conference hall. According to two reports of the proceedings, the municipal corporation's component is Rs 2,262.42 crore and the Jal Kal component is Rs 373.02 crore. Together they equal the Rs 2,635.44 crore combined figure confirmed in the official municipal announcement.
The announcement was published at 9:06 pm IST on November 5. It places drinking water supply, sewer lines, manhole repairs, roads, lanes, drainage and parks among the priorities. The committee's decision concerns a revised annual budget, rather than a separate construction sanction for every location mentioned in the broader discussion.
The meeting reports also compare the corporation's Rs 2,262.42 crore component with Rs 843 crore in 2023 to 2024, describing growth of 168.38 percent over three years. That comparison concerns the municipal component across financial years, rather than the increase approved at this meeting.
A Rs 25 crore provision covers sewer and drinking water pipeline extension and replacement in service settlements and lanes associated with distinguished residents honoured with Bharat Ratna and Padma awards. Reports of the meeting attribute the infrastructure provisions to Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal. Neither report supplies a complete list of eligible lanes or an individual allocation for each settlement.
Separate maintenance headings address existing networks. Sewer lines and manholes receive Rs 17.60 crore for repairs, while drinking water pipeline maintenance and repairs receive Rs 14 crore. Main sewer line cleaning has a Rs 5 crore provision. These are distinct budget descriptions, and the reports do not provide a wardwise division of the money.
| Work heading | Reported provision |
|---|---|
| Sewer and water line extension and replacement in specified settlements and lanes | Rs 25 crore |
| Sewer and manhole repairs | Rs 17.60 crore |
| Drinking water pipeline maintenance and repairs | Rs 14 crore |
| Main sewer line cleaning | Rs 5 crore |
| Lane maintenance and repairs | Rs 8 crore |
| Park and garden improvements | Rs 5 crore |
| Varunapar underground drainage cleaning | Rs 1 crore |
| Footpath and pathway maintenance | Rs 7 lakh |
Who will operate the sewer facilities
The corporation's own statement says it will operate the sewage treatment plants and sewer pumping stations. Reports of the meeting say these functions had been handled by Jal Nigam. The decision changes the body assigned to operate those facilities, but the statement does not set out a transition schedule or staffing arrangement.
That distinction matters for neighbourhood complaints. A sewer pumping station and a blocked lane sewer are different parts of the system. Residents can identify the location and visible problem when reporting it, while asking the corporation which office will handle the case. The announcement does not establish that every local blockage will be resolved by the operating transfer alone.
Nagpal directed departments to complete approved development work within the stipulated time and maintain quality, according to the meeting reports. No common completion date for all budgeted works appears in the material reviewed. A deadline for one future work order should therefore be checked against that order, rather than inferred from the annual budget total.
What residents should do
The municipal website lists 1533 for civic complaints and separately links to Jal Kal and water quality information. Someone in Varunapar following a drainage problem should specify the lane and whether the concern is underground drainage, sewer overflow or water supply. That gives the receiving office a clearer description than a general reference to the new budget.
For background on distinct earlier decisions, read the reports on six water and sewerage project approvals, the Saket Nagar sewer inspection and the municipal complaint hearing. The November 5 decision adds a revised financial framework and an operating responsibility change; the published material does not provide a new streetwise work calendar.
