Government plans ₹580-crore push for Godavari Pushkaram works

Published 11 July 2026 · politics

Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana on Saturday said the Rajamahendravaram Municipal Corporation (RMC) would utilise its available funds of ₹48 crore

Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P. Narayana on Saturday said the Rajamahendravaram Municipal Corporation (RMC) would utilise its available funds of ₹48 crore and seek to mobilise about ₹580 crore through various Central government schemes for urban infrastructure works ahead of the Godavari Pushkarams in 2027. Narayana, along with Minister for Tourism and Culture Kandula Durgesh, Rajamahendravaram City MLA Adireddy Srinivas, Rajamahendravaram Rural MLA G. Butchaiah Chowdary and officials, inspected the ongoing Pushkaram-related infrastructure works. It was Mr. Narayana’s second review of the works within a week.

Speaking to reporters at Pushkar Ghat, Mr. Narayana said more than 4.8 crore devotees had taken the holy dip during the 2015 Godavari Pushkarams, with about 60 lakh pilgrims visiting on the busiest day. He said the government was expecting nearly 10 crore devotees to participate in the 2027 event, with around one crore pilgrims likely to take the holy dip on the peak day. “We are planning to deploy a large workforce, including 15,000 sanitation personnel, compared with 8,000 deployed during the previous Pushkarams,” he said. On the timeline for completing the proposed infrastructure works, Mr. Narayana said that while the projects for the previous Pushkarams had begun only four months before the event, the government had initiated the works a year in advance this time.

“The available time will be sufficient to complete the infrastructure works and make comprehensive arrangements for crowd management and safety,” he said. The Ministers inspected the ghats between Saraswath Ghat and Kotilingala Ghat, the proposed ₹15-crore underground cable network and the ₹22-crore riverfront development project. Durgesh said that, under the ₹97-crore Akhanda Godavari project, a walking track was being laid on the Havelock Bridge connecting the city riverfront with Bridge Lanka, an island in the Godavari. Later, Mr. Narayana reviewed the proposed projects and funding options for the Pushkaram infrastructure works at the RMC office.

He directed the civic authorities to submit details of the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bonds proposed to be utilised for raising funds for the projects. RMC Commissioner Rahul Meena, Rajamahendravaram Urban Development Authority Chairman Boddu Venkataramana Chowdary and other officials were present.