All Government Departments Must Coordinate and Fulfil Responsibilities: Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai

Review Meeting Held for Preparations of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Procession.

Satara : The Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi procession is scheduled to enter Satara district on June 26 and reach Solapur district on June 30. The palkhi halts will be at Lonand, Taradgaon, Phaltan, and Barad. In light of the preparations, Guardian Minister Shambhuraj Desai, who is also the Minister for Tourism, Mining, and Ex-Servicemen Welfare, has directed all government departments to work in coordination and fulfill their duties diligently. Ongoing works on the palkhi route must be completed swiftly to ensure smooth arrangements for the devotees (warkaris).

A review meeting regarding preparations was held at the Lonand Municipal Council Hall, chaired by Minister Desai. Present at the meeting were Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Patil, Additional CEO Vishwas Sid, Additional SP Vaishali Kadukar, Phaltan Sub-Divisional Officer Priyanka Ambekar, Phaltan Tehsildar Dr. Abhijit Jadhav, Khandala Tehsildar Ajit Patil, PWD Sub-Divisional Engineer Ravikumar Ambekar, Lonand Municipal President Madhumati Kalinde, Vice President Ghanibhai Kachhi, Lonand Chief Officer Dattatray Gaikwad, and other department heads.

Before the meeting, Ministers Desai and Patil visited Datta Ghat on the Nira River and the palkhi halting site at Lonand, issuing necessary instructions for preparations.

Minister Desai stressed the need for meticulous planning and directed that no inconvenience be caused to warkaris regarding cleanliness, toilets, drinking water, health facilities, roads, electricity, and fuel supply. He stated that funds would be allocated from the District Planning Committee for Lonand Municipal Council to arrange necessary facilities for the event.

Key directives included:

• Ensure clean drinking water is supplied via tankers along the palkhi route.
• Set up fixed medical teams, stock of medicines, ambulances, and anti-venom for snake and dog bites.
• Health teams must be equipped for immediate treatment of common ailments like cold, fever, and cough.
• MSEDCL should keep staff alert and deploy generators where needed.
• Zilla Parishads and municipalities should clean up immediately after the palkhi passes.
• All toilets on the palkhi route should be functional and clean; temporary toilets must be arranged.
• Police must manage crowd control with additional deployment during palkhi arrivals.

Minister Patil added:

• Stay in regular contact with palkhi leaders and provide necessary facilities.
• Reserve 10% of beds in private hospitals for warkaris.
• Ensure adequate power supply at night at halting spots, with backup generators available.
• Make emergency exit routes accessible in case of unforeseen situations.

Additional CEO Vishwas Sid and officials from the health, power, PWD, and municipal departments shared details of the current plans.

QR Code for Village-Wise Services and Directions

For the first time, Khandala and Phaltan Panchayat Samitis have jointly created a QR code offering village-wise facility information and location guidance for warkaris participating in the 2025 palkhi procession. Through this website, devotees can access details like toilets, health services, water, women’s bathing facilities, halts, accommodations, petrol pumps, and contact information for each village. Each listing includes a direct Google Maps link to the location. Minister Desai instructed that this QR code be displayed prominently in all areas visited by devotees.