Minister sets April deadline for Pushkaralu works

Metro India News | Hyderabad : Minister for IT and Industries Duddilla Sridhar Babu has directed officials to complete all works related to the Godavari Pushkaralu-2027 by April next year and asked various departments to work in coordination under a special action plan. The State government plans to organise the upcoming Godavari Pushkaralu on the lines of the Kumbh Mela, Sridhar Babu said at a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Godavari Pushkaralu-2027 held at the Assembly Committee Hall on Friday.

The Minister stressed the need for a detailed field-level assessment of arrangements made during the previous Pushkaralu and directed officials to ensure that the challenges faced then were not repeated. Arrangements should be planned based on the expected pilgrim footfall at each location, he said.

Ministers Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Seethakka, Ponnam Prabhakar, Vivek Venkataswamy and Adluri Laxman Kumar attended the meeting.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee reviewed preparations for the Pushkaralu, including development works at prominent temples, construction of bathing ghats, transportation, infrastructure and other arrangements.

Sridhar Babu said special officers had been appointed for each district to ensure coordination among departments. Command and Control Centres equipped with advanced technology were also being established at Tier-1 locations expected to witness heavy pilgrim movement.

He said ghat-wise field-level studies had been conducted in coordination with Collectors to identify additional requirements and minimise inconvenience to devotees.

The Minister directed officials to prioritise works that could be completed before the commencement of the Pushkaralu and set specific deadlines based on ground realities. An integrated dashboard should be made operational immediately to enable regular monitoring of the progress of various works, he said.

Sridhar Babu directed officials to address any shortage of engineers by deputing personnel from the Roads and Buildings Department and other departments. In view of the possibility of rainfall during the Pushkaralu, officials were also asked to prepare alternative arrangements and contingency measures in advance.

He directed the concerned officials to take immediate steps for construction of a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Bhadrachalam.

Sridhar Babu said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had assured that adequate funds would be provided and stressed that there should be no compromise either on arrangements for the Pushkaralu or on the quality of the works.