CM Naidu Orders Grand, Tech-driven Godavari Pushkaralu
25 Aug 2026 7:40 PM IST25 Aug 2026 7:40 PM IST
Advanced technology to ensure devotee safety and crowd management; tourism circuit linking major temples planned
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. (DC)
VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has directed officials to conduct the Godavari Pushkarams from June 26, 2027, on a grand scale, combining devotion with world-class arrangements to ensure that the estimated eight to 10 crore devotees face no inconvenience.
He also called for branding the event as Akhanda Godavari, highlighting the entire river system from its origin to the sea.
Reviewing the Pushkaram preparations at the secretariat on Tuesday, Naidu said all works must be expedited as only 10 months remained.
Officials said works worth ₹4,026 crore were being taken up, with the finance department already releasing ₹899 crore. The works cover 1,869 projects in East Godavari, 625 in West Godavari, 1,501 in Konaseema, 426 in Eluru, 321 in Kakinada and 190 in Polavaram.
With 4.86 crore devotees having taken holy dips during the 2015 Maha Pushkarams, officials expect 8-10 crore visitors in 2027, with nearly one crore potentially arriving each day.
A total of 440 ghats will be made available, including the 259 existing ghats to be developed and 181 new ones.
Konaseema will have the highest number at 175, followed by East Godavari with 82, Kakinada 88, Eluru 44, West Godavari 40 and Polavaram 11.
Technology will play a major role in crowd and safety management, with AI-based crowd analytics, CCTV monitoring of entries and exits, drone surveillance, QR-based vehicle identification and decentralised deployment systems. As many as 2,697 rescue boats will be kept ready.
Naidu directed officials to create a tourism circuit linking major pilgrimage centres, including the Pithapuram Shakti Peetham, four Pancharama temples, Dwaraka Tirumala, Annavaram, Vadapalli and Antarvedi.
He called for promoting homestays, expediting hotel approvals and constructing a convention centre in Rajamahendravaram. Prominent personalities from India and abroad will be invited, while the Endowments and Tourism departments were asked to plan large cultural programmes, including Kuchipudi performances.
Naidu stressed that roads in all six districts must be pothole-free, including routes to ghats and the Polavaram project.
The authorities were told to prevent sewage from entering the river, complete works at Havelock Bridge and nearby islands, and improve connectivity between Rajamahendravaram and Polavaram.
Medical preparedness will include ambulances, first-aid facilities, medical camps and 30 temporary field hospitals with laboratories. Fifty of the 260 gram panchayats in the Godavari basin are proposed as Model Pushkar Panchayats, with Muni Kudali selected as the pilot.
For greener travel, 487 green-energy buses will be deployed and 11 bus stations modernised. Infrastructure, transport, sanitation, drinking water, accommodation, security and technology are to be integrated into the Pushkaram plan, the CM said.
Reviewing the Pushkaram preparations at the secretariat on Tuesday, Naidu said all works must be expedited as only 10 months remained.
Officials said works worth ₹4,026 crore were being taken up, with the finance department already releasing ₹899 crore. The works cover 1,869 projects in East Godavari, 625 in West Godavari, 1,501 in Konaseema, 426 in Eluru, 321 in Kakinada and 190 in Polavaram.
With 4.86 crore devotees having taken holy dips during the 2015 Maha Pushkarams, officials expect 8-10 crore visitors in 2027, with nearly one crore potentially arriving each day.
A total of 440 ghats will be made available, including the 259 existing ghats to be developed and 181 new ones.
Konaseema will have the highest number at 175, followed by East Godavari with 82, Kakinada 88, Eluru 44, West Godavari 40 and Polavaram 11.
Technology will play a major role in crowd and safety management, with AI-based crowd analytics, CCTV monitoring of entries and exits, drone surveillance, QR-based vehicle identification and decentralised deployment systems. As many as 2,697 rescue boats will be kept ready.
Naidu directed officials to create a tourism circuit linking major pilgrimage centres, including the Pithapuram Shakti Peetham, four Pancharama temples, Dwaraka Tirumala, Annavaram, Vadapalli and Antarvedi.
He called for promoting homestays, expediting hotel approvals and constructing a convention centre in Rajamahendravaram. Prominent personalities from India and abroad will be invited, while the Endowments and Tourism departments were asked to plan large cultural programmes, including Kuchipudi performances.
Naidu stressed that roads in all six districts must be pothole-free, including routes to ghats and the Polavaram project.
The authorities were told to prevent sewage from entering the river, complete works at Havelock Bridge and nearby islands, and improve connectivity between Rajamahendravaram and Polavaram.
Medical preparedness will include ambulances, first-aid facilities, medical camps and 30 temporary field hospitals with laboratories. Fifty of the 260 gram panchayats in the Godavari basin are proposed as Model Pushkar Panchayats, with Muni Kudali selected as the pilot.
For greener travel, 487 green-energy buses will be deployed and 11 bus stations modernised. Infrastructure, transport, sanitation, drinking water, accommodation, security and technology are to be integrated into the Pushkaram plan, the CM said.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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