The Maharashtra government announced that it had given its approval to the decision made by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to establish a 12-member panel of environmentalists. This panel, led by the former NEERI director, Satish Wate, is tasked with overseeing the pollution abatement program for the Nag, Pora, and Pili rivers. The group of experts has been assigned the responsibility of offering recommendations and providing guidance to the NMC in the implementation of the Nag River Pollution Abatement project, which is valued at Rs 19.23 billion. To fund the project, the government is seeking a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The JICA had previously granted approval for a long-term loan to both the central and state governments for the project. Out of the total amount of Rs 19.26 billion, the central government will contribute Rs 11.15 billion, the state government will provide Rs 5.07 billion, and the NMC will contribute Rs 3.04 billion. The NMC had previously sent a letter to the state government, requesting the formation of an expert committee for the project. Alongside Satish Wate, the other members of the panel include the municipal commissioner, Dr Vasant Mhaisalkar (a retired professor from VNIT), Dr. T Nandi (a scientist from NEERI), Dr Kishore Malviya (an environmentalist), Dr Ramesh Daryapurkar (CEO of LARS Enviro), Shashikant Hastak (former superintending engineer at NMC), Dr Dipankar Shome (an environmental expert), Pranita Umredkar (project manager, environment section, Smart City), and other officials. The committee is expected to serve for a period of three years. The expert panel, which will provide its services voluntarily, will offer advice and guidance from an environmental perspective to address pollution issues in all three of the city's rivers. Their responsibilities include coordinating with various relevant departments, proposing measures, and guiding these departments in the execution of the project's action plan. Additionally, they will facilitate communication between the NMC, the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the central government, and JICA. Also read:  Hyderabad Metro phase 3: Systra & Aarvee get DPR contractLand Acquisition for Nanded-Wardha Rail Reaches 90% Completion