CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s urban mobility expertise could soon play a key role in managing one of India’s largest religious gatherings, with the Andhra Pradesh government seeking the services of the Chennai Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (Cumta) for the 2027 Godavari Pushkarams at Rajamahendravaram.
A Cumta source told TNIE that the request reflects growing interstate recognition of Tamil Nadu’s institutional capacity in urban transport planning and large-scale mobility management.
Originally set up to coordinate Chennai’s metropolitan transport systems, Cumta is increasingly being viewed as a specialist agency for handling complex crowd movement and multimodal traffic integration during high-density public events, the official said.
The official added that Cumta teams had already conducted a field study and were expected to submit a report by the second week of June outlining measures to manage pilgrim movement along the banks of the Godavari during the festival, scheduled to be held from June 26 to July 7, 2027.
It is learnt that Andhra Pradesh officials had sought the deployment of an expert team to undertake a detailed study and provide operational inputs on managing pilgrim flow, vehicular traffic and public access during the Pushkarams.
Sources said Andhra Pradesh was particularly interested in Cumta’s expertise in integrated mobility planning, pedestrian circulation, traffic dispersal modelling and real-time monitoring systems. The state had earlier utilised Cumta’s services during Yogandhra-2025 in Visakhapatnam.
Officials in Andhra Pradesh expect more than 10 million pilgrims to participate in the Pushkarams, one of the country’s largest religious congregations, during which devotees gather along the Godavari river for ritual bathing and temple visits.
According to sources, the Andhra Pradesh government is keen to adopt a data-driven and scientific approach to crowd dispersal, transport planning and emergency response systems to minimise congestion and improve pilgrim movement.
The Andhra Pradesh government had formally initiated preparations for the Pushkarams last year, directing district administrations to undertake advance planning for infrastructure, amenities and mobility management. It is learnt that Rajamahendravaram is expected to emerge as the focal point of the festival, with heavy inflows of pilgrims anticipated through road and rail networks on peak bathing days.
The proposed collaboration with Cumta is expected to focus on integrated traffic circulation plans, pedestrian management systems, multimodal transport coordination and real-time monitoring strategies to ensure the smooth conduct of the event.