Provide Essential Facilities for Devotees During the Palkhi Procession Without Delay – Deputy CM Ajit Pawar

Review Meeting Held to Discuss Preparations for Palkhi Festival 2025

Pune – Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has directed that all necessary arrangements for Warkaris (devotees) during the Ashadhi Palkhi Procession be completed promptly to ensure they do not face any inconvenience. He emphasized the need to provide essential facilities at Palkhi campsites, halt locations, and along the entire procession route. He also assured that the government will allocate the required funds for the festival.

He was speaking at a preparatory review meeting held at the Pune Vidhan Bhavan for the Shri Kshetra Dehu and Shri Kshetra Alandi Palkhi Procession 2025. The meeting was attended by Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Police Commissioners Amitesh Kumar and Vinay Kumar Choubey, Special IG of Kolhapur Range Sunil Phulari, Municipal Commissioners Naval Kishore Ram (Pune) and Shekhar Singh (Pimpri-Chinchwad), PMRDA Commissioner Dr. Yogesh Mhase, District Collectors and ZP CEOs of Pune, Satara, and Solapur, and senior police officers.

Ajit Pawar emphasized that, given the monsoon, proper arrangements must be made at resting and halting points. In case of rain at Dive Ghat, special precautions must be taken to ensure the procession is not disrupted. Citizens should be restricted from gathering near the ghat for safety. Since hillside digging is ongoing, barricades should be installed to prevent falling rocks from endangering devotees.

He instructed swift repairs of the old Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi route near Undawadi-Kadepathar towards Baramati, filling potholes and removing debris. Work on the Palkhi highway towards Indapur must be expedited. The stretch from Indapur to Pandharpur must be made fully secure with all necessary precautions in place before the procession. Construction material placed along roads due to PMRDA’s metro work must be immediately cleared.

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) must keep its teams alert along the entire route. Local bodies must ensure cleanliness of villages and routes immediately after the procession passes. District councils must arrange generators at halting locations, and additional funds from the District Planning Committee can be used if needed.

Unauthorized advertisement hoardings along roads must be urgently removed to avoid accidents during storms. Revenue officials, police, and local bodies must jointly inspect the route. Structural stability audits must be conducted for authorized hoardings as well.

In light of past COVID-19 concerns, Palkhi and Dindi leaders should be urged to ensure devotees with symptoms like cold, fever, or cough undergo health checks before joining the procession. Medical teams along the route must be equipped with essential medicines and test kits for quick diagnosis and treatment.

Divisional Commissioner Pulkundwar outlined the detailed plan, assuring special measures for a clean and orderly Wari. Police Commissioners Amitesh Kumar and Vinay Kumar Choubey detailed security and traffic arrangements. Other district officials also shared their preparation updates.

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar inaugurated the ‘PTP TrafficCop’ mobile app developed by Pune Traffic Police, the Palkhi Tracking App for real-time tracking of the procession, and the ‘Project Wari’ computer-based system by Pune Police Commissionerate. This initiative will help count the number of devotees accurately, aiding future planning.