VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday directed officials to ensure world-class arrangements and preserve the spiritual sanctity of the Godavari Pushkaralu, which will be celebrated for 12 days from June 26 to July 7, 2027.
Reviewing the progress of 4,932 infrastructure works undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 4,026 crore across six districts, the Chief Minister instructed line departments to expedite execution without compromising on quality, noting that the Finance Department has already released Rs 899 crore for priority projects spanning R&B, Municipal Administration, Water Resources, Energy, and Panchayat Raj departments.
With official projections estimating a turnout of 8 to 10 crore pilgrims—nearly double the 4.86 crore recorded during the 2015 Maha Pushkaralu — the State is heavily upgrading its transit and riverfront capacity.
A total of 440 ghats will be made operational, comprising the modernisation of 259 existing structures and the construction of 181 new ghats across East Godavari (82), Konaseema (175), West Godavari (40), Kakinada (88), Eluru (44), and Polavaram (11). Out of 260 riverbed village panchayats, 50 will be developed as Model Pushkar Panchayats, with Muni Koodali in Seethanagaram mandal selected as the pilot project.
To manage high-density footfalls safely, the state will deploy advanced technological solutions including AI-based crowd analytics, CCTV entry-exit monitoring, drone surveillance, QR-based vehicle identification, and a decentralised deployment system.
Medical infrastructure will feature 30 temporary field hospitals River safety and transport will be bolstered by 2,697 rescue boats, 8,955 trained divers, 487 green energy buses, and the modernization of 11 bus terminals.
