Maharashtra: BJP-led environment dept scraps ex-CM Shinde’s lake projects, orders return of funds | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiApr 28, 2026 07:00 AM IST
Maharashtra’s Environment and Climate Change Department, led by BJP minister Pankaja Munde, has cancelled administrative approval to 14 lake conservation projects cleared under previous governments, including 11 sanctioned when former Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, an ally, held the portfolio. The department has also ordered recovery of funds already released for these projects, along with interest.
Of the 14 projects scrapped, 11 were approved during Shinde’s tenure, while three were cleared when the department was headed by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray during the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
The 11 projects cleared under Shinde that have now been scrapped include Mukteshwar, Samatanagar and Ausa lakes in Latur; Vadap lake in Karjat (Raigad); Parampok lake in Parli (Beed); Beloshi lake in Alibaug (Raigad); and Kalmadu, Visapur, Devli and Brahmanshevage lakes in Chalisgaon (Jalgaon). These projects were estimated at Rs 244.15 crore, of which Rs 73.31 crore had already been released.
The three projects cleared under Thackeray — Ozar lake in Lanja (Ratnagiri), Erangal lake in Mumbai and Khambale lake in Igatpuri (Nashik) — had a combined project cost of Rs 35.99 crore, with Rs 18 crore already disbursed.
“Since the in-principle approval previously granted to a total of 14 lake conservation projects is being cancelled, and in order to avoid financial irregularities, the funds previously distributed by the state government for these projects — along with accrued interest — must be recovered,” the order said.
The decision follows a steering committee meeting on February 16, 2026, which found that five of these lake conservation proposals were not prepared in the prescribed format as per the guidelines of the State Lake Conservation Scheme. Nine other proposals had failed to submit revised project reports to the department, despite more than two years having passed since their first application.
Munde did not respond to calls and messages. Queries sent to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Jayshri Bhoj, Secretary of the department, also remained unanswered.
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The State Lake Conservation Plan, implemented in Maharashtra since 2006–07, is a state-level scheme aimed at the revival of lakes and water bodies. It focuses on preventing pollution, desilting water bodies, improving water flow, beautification, and protecting the local ecosystem. It is implemented through local self-government bodies such as municipal corporations and councils, which submit project proposals to the state government for funding approval. Priority is typically given to the restoration of historically significant lakes, particularly in smaller towns and villages.
The cancellation is the latest reversal by the Fadnavis government of decisions taken under its predecessor, the Shinde government. In April 2025, the Fadnavis government set aside the Shinde administration’s “One State, One Uniform” decision, announcing that individual school management committees (SMCs) would decide their school uniforms instead of the School Education Department.
In January 2025, the government tweaked the three-course meal plan declared in June 2024, saying government schools would include sweet dishes only if SMCs could raise funds through public participation to buy the sugar required to prepare these dishes.
The government had also placed a stay on the Public Health Department’s five-year tender worth Rs 3,200 crore, issued during the Shinde government’s tenure, for mechanised housekeeping of government hospitals and primary health centres. The government in February directed health establishments to continue the previous process of cleaning.
