Stressing that restoring river health must take precedence over cosmetic upgrades, Maharashtra Minister of Environment and Climate Change Pankaja Munde said, “Even if river beautification is delayed, ensuring pollution-free rivers is non-negotiable.” She also announced that the state government is in the final stages of establishing an independent River Rejuvenation Authority to exclusively focus on restoring polluted rivers.

Munde was speaking at a high-level review meeting held at the Pimpri-Chinchwad Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) headquarters in Akurdi. Prior to the meeting, she inspected the raw water pumping station at Talawade and assessed pollution levels in the Indrayani River, followed by a visit to the Ravet pumping station to review conditions in the Pavana River. Munde also inspected the Nigdi and Nighoje barrages on the Indrayani River.