VARANASI: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved expenditure proposals for six Varanasi drinking water and sewerage projects on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, as part of a seven project package shared with Lucknow. The Varanasi works cover water and sewer networks in the old Trans Varuna area and the expanded Lahartara and Chitaipur zones, affecting households awaiting those services.
The government's cabinet note separates the local package into three sewerage projects and three drinking water projects. It estimates that about 8.52 lakh people in Varanasi will benefit from sewerage works and about 8.22 lakh from the drinking water works. These are projected benefits after implementation, rather than a statement that new services have already begun.
Six projects belong to Varanasi
The distinction between the statewide announcement and the city allocation matters. Of the seven projects approved under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0, six relate to Varanasi Municipal Corporation. The remaining project is a drinking water scheme for Lucknow, with an estimated beneficiary population of 1.56 lakh.
For Varanasi, the reported scope includes expansion and improvement of networks in District 2B and 2C of the old Trans Varuna area. Lahartara and Chitaipur are also named in the accounts of the cabinet briefing as zones where the expanded city needs water supply and sewerage coverage. Those locations are corroborated in two opened reports of the decision.
- Decision date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
- Varanasi allocation: three drinking water projects and three sewerage projects.
- Estimated sewerage beneficiary population: about 8.52 lakh.
- Estimated drinking water beneficiary population: about 8.22 lakh.
- Approval stage: expenditure proposals cleared by the state cabinet.
The two Varanasi beneficiary estimates should be read separately. A household may benefit from both a water connection and a sewer connection, and the cabinet note does not identify a single combined count of distinct residents. Adding the figures would therefore not establish how many different people the package serves.
How the package is to be funded
The official cabinet decisions note, dated October 27, lists contributions for all seven projects together. It records a central share of Rs 69,641.71 lakh, a state share of Rs 1,86,639.87 lakh and a local body share of Rs 22,285.37 lakh. A separate centage amount of Rs 11,394.58 lakh is also listed.
These financing figures apply to the combined Varanasi and Lucknow package. They should not be described as money allocated solely to Varanasi. The note identifies the city project counts and expected coverage but does not provide an individual financial table for each of the six Varanasi schemes.
What residents should watch for next
The decision establishes approval of the expenditure proposals. The cabinet note does not set out a street by street construction calendar, household application process or date for commissioning the Varanasi networks. Residents will need the implementing departments' subsequent notices to establish when work reaches a particular lane and when a connection can actually be used.
Further state releases can be checked on the Uttar Pradesh Information and Public Relations Department website. Until detailed implementation notices are available, the projected coverage figures offer the clearest confirmed measure of the decision's intended local reach.
For context on separate city works and service concerns, read UP Raises Fair-Price Dealer Margin to ₹125 Per Quintal; Araji Line Joins Launch, Varanasi water works: Dinapur bids and ₹11.39 crore sanction and Dalmandi Widening Moves to Sewer Lines Ahead of Storm-Water Drain. These are background reports about other works, rather than completion notices for the newly approved projects.
