In 2025, Nagpur stands at a crossroads between growth and gridlock. Several projects once positioned to drive the city’s development have slowed to a halt due to administrative and procedural barriers.

These projects span crucial sectors, including transport, aviation, heritage, and urban housing, yet share a common bottleneck in the corridors of bureaucracy. The delays have not only stretched timelines but also disrupted the city’s broader vision of integrated infrastructure and mobility.

While Nagpur continues to be a hub of urban planning experiments, its challenges reflect a recurring pattern seen across Vidarbha, where approvals and inter-departmental coordination often determine the pace of change more than the availability of funds.

The following account traces four major government projects currently stalled in Nagpur, exploring their scope, current state, and the bureaucratic hurdles that have left them suspended.

1. Broad Gauge Metro Project: Awaiting the Centre’s Green Signal

The Broad Gauge Metro, often referred to as the “regional rapid transit” system, was envisioned as a transformative commuter rail network connecting Nagpur with its surrounding towns such as Wardha, Ramtek, Narkhed, and Bhandara. This project, first approved at the state level years ago, aimed to extend metro-like connectivity beyond city limits using existing railway infrastructure. Its total estimated cost has been reported between ₹350 crore and ₹418 crore, reflecting revisions made during feasibility assessments by Indian Railways and the Maharashtra government.

Despite initial enthusiasm, the project remains in limbo in 2025, awaiting final clearance from the Union Urban Development Department. Officials confirm that while preliminary studies and route alignments were completed, tenders and budget allocations have not been sanctioned. The absence of a central-level green signal has resulted in the project being described as “stalled” in multiple reports. Bureaucratic delays in moving files between departments, along with procedural bottlenecks over funding models, have held up progress.

The concept was intended to ease commuter traffic and foster regional integration across Vidarbha, but the slow movement of paperwork has left the proposal without operational momentum. Sources indicate that no significant progress has been made since the last project review meeting held in late 2024. The Broad Gauge Metro remains one of Nagpur’s most promising yet dormant infrastructure plans, embodying how administrative inaction can overshadow technical readiness.

2. Nagpur Airport Expansion and GMR Takeover: Files Lost in Approval Loops

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur has long been identified as a strategic aviation hub for central India. The airport’s planned expansion, including the handover of operations to the GMR Group under a concession model, was expected to enhance passenger capacity, attract cargo business, and align with the MIHAN project’s broader logistics framework. However, as of 2025, this critical infrastructure upgrade is mired in bureaucratic uncertainty.

The handover and expansion plan has been held up because the Union Cabinet has yet to approve the operational transfer note submitted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. According to reports, the Cabinet sought multiple clarifications on clauses related to land ownership, revenue sharing, and the role of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC). The presence of overlapping jurisdictions between the Airports Authority of India (AAI), MADC, and the MIHAN authorities has created administrative complexity.

While some preliminary works, such as limited runway maintenance, continue, the larger modernisation effort is effectively paused.

A senior official was quoted as saying that “the file has been moving back and forth between departments for months,” reflecting the circular nature of bureaucratic review processes. The delay has financial implications as well, with estimates suggesting that the airport’s upgrade timeline may now stretch beyond 2026.

Nagpur’s airport expansion was expected to complement the city’s growing logistics and industrial ambitions, particularly for exports and maintenance operations within Vidarbha. Yet, as of now, the stalled Cabinet approval remains the primary obstacle. It highlights how even strategic infrastructure can be slowed by procedural reviews and multi-agency coordination challenges.

3. Ramtek Temple Development: Works Stuck in Documentation and Clearances

Ramtek, one of Nagpur district’s most important cultural and religious landmarks, has seen a series of proposed infrastructure projects intended to improve access, restore heritage structures, and develop visitor amenities. The Public Works Department (PWD) received administrative approval worth ₹49.28 crore for 23 development works, covering road upgrades, beautification of the temple corridor, and creation of facilities for pilgrims. However, most of these efforts have been hampered by incomplete documentation and delayed clearances from regulatory authorities.

By mid-2025, only about half of the sanctioned works had been completed. The remaining 13 projects remain delayed due to pending No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Archaeological Department and Forest Department. Reports indicate that in several cases, the PWD had not submitted all necessary documents required for clearance, resulting in procedural backlogs. Officials from the Archaeological Department confirmed that they were awaiting properly revised proposals before issuing further approvals.

The bureaucratic nature of the delays has had a visible effect on ground progress. Piles of construction material and partially completed pathways can still be found near the temple approach roads. Local officials have expressed frustration over the slow pace of correspondence between departments. While funds have been sanctioned and released for certain works, implementation remains sluggish.

Ramtek’s development plan was expected to enhance tourism and strengthen the heritage identity of Nagpur district within Vidarbha. Instead, incomplete documentation and inter-departmental communication gaps have turned the initiative into another example of stalled progress caused by administrative lapses. The absence of synchronised project management among the responsible agencies continues to delay completion.

4. Smart City Project: Brick Kiln Rehabilitation Halted by NOC Dispute

Under the Smart and Sustainable City initiative, Nagpur undertook 47 projects designed to improve living standards through upgraded urban infrastructure, affordable housing, and technological solutions. While most have reached completion, seven remain unfinished, including the rehabilitation of brick kiln workers displaced by industrial zoning regulations. The relocation component, a socially significant part of the Smart City agenda, has been suspended due to land clearance and NOC issues.

The identified land parcel for relocating affected families required approval from the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT). Reports confirm that NIT declined to issue the necessary NOC, citing legal and procedural inconsistencies in land allocation records. Without the clearance, the Smart City administration has been unable to initiate on-site construction or rehabilitation.

Officials within the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), which has now taken over Smart City functions, described the issue as a matter “stuck between agencies.” While other pending projects, such as road redevelopment and drainage upgrade,s continue to progress, the brick kiln relocation has not advanced beyond the planning phase.

The delay underscores the complexity of urban rehabilitation schemes in Nagpur, where coordination between agencies remains a recurring challenge. For hundreds of displaced families, the hold-up has meant continued uncertainty about housing and livelihood relocation. Within the broader Vidarbha context, the case exemplifies how social infrastructure projects often face longer delays than their physical counterparts due to procedural constraints.

The four projects currently stalled in Nagpur share a pattern that transcends their differences in scale and purpose. Each represents a sector vital to the city’s progress, yet each has been slowed by bureaucratic dependencies, procedural oversights, or overlapping jurisdictions. From transport connectivity and aviation upgrades to heritage preservation and housing rehabilitation, the obstacles lie not in ambition but in administration. The recurring issue of inter-departmental coordination has created a cycle where approvals move more slowly than execution capacity.

Nagpur’s experience in 2025 offers a revealing look into how bureaucracy can define urban momentum as much as planning or finance. These delays also serve as reminders that paperwork and permissions, often seen as routine, can alter the trajectory of a city’s development timeline. The stalled projects stand as visible markers of the administrative realities confronting urban transformation across Vidarbha. While deadlines extend and targets shift, the weight of bureaucracy continues to shape Nagpur’s modern landscape.