VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to prepare plans to organise Godavari Pushkarams on a grand scale, on par with the Kumbh Mela. The Godavari River Pushkarams will be held for 12 days, from June 26, 2027, to July 7.
With around 10 million devotees from across India and abroad expected to take a holy dip during the Pushkarams, the Chief Minister emphasised the need to create infrastructure commensurate with the expected turnout.
During a high-level review meeting on the Godavari Pushkarams at the Secretariat on Friday, the Chief Minister made it clear that there should be no inconvenience to pilgrims at bathing ghats along the 212-km stretch of the Godavari river flowing through Polavaram, Eluru, East Godavari, West Godavari, Konaseema, and Kakinada districts. He also advised officials to initiate discussions with the Union Government well in advance to secure the required funds.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to make arrangements focusing on accommodation needs through the establishment of tent cities and the promotion of homestays. He said crowd movement at ghats must be continuously regulated.
He added that the existing capacity of ghats should be enhanced and directed officials to prepare a comprehensive route management plan for entry and exit from bathing ghats. Adequate parking facilities should also be created at suitable locations.
The Chief Minister called for foolproof security measures and detailed planning to prevent traffic congestion, vehicle pile-ups, and incidents such as fire accidents in tent cities.
He instructed officials to deploy Artificial Intelligence-driven crowd management systems and utilise RTGS services for monitoring and management. Emphasizing that there should be no lapses in security, the Chief Minister ordered the development of all roads facilitating pilgrim movement.
The Chief Minister further directed that the Polavaram project works should be completed before the Godavari Pushkarams.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that plans have been prepared to develop a total of 373 ghats over a length of 9,918 m, comprising the existing 234 ghats and 139 new ones. District-wise, 14 ghats are proposed in Polavaram, 34 in Eluru, 102 in East Godavari, 40 in West Godavari, six in Kakinada, and the highest number of 175 ghats in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district.
During the review, the Chief Minister interacted with Collectors and Superintendents of Police from the six districts via video conference. He stressed that under the banner of “Akhanda Godavari,” the riverfront areas should be developed while also promoting tourism and historically significant locations.
He instructed officials to ensure there are no mobile network issues at ghats in agencies and remote areas such as Polavaram.
The Chief Minister emphasised the importance of public participation, stating that the cooperation of local communities in welcoming and hosting pilgrims from distant regions would be crucial for the successful conduct of the Pushkarams.
He directed that AI-based technologies be deployed for the Godavari Pushkarams and said services should be made available to devotees in multiple languages through the Bhashini app.
He also instructed that special bus services be operated for pilgrims. The CM remarked that it was his good fortune to oversee the conduct of the Godavari Pushkarams for the third time.
Ministers Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, Nimmala Ramanaidu, Anagani Satya Prasad, Vangalapudi Anitha, P Narayana, Vasamsetty Subhash, Kandula Durgesh, and BC Janardhan Reddy, Chief Secretary K Vijayanand, and DGP Harish Kumar Gupta were present.