Nashik Kumbh works worth around Rs 2,200 crore will be completed before the main Amrit Snan bathing dates in 2027, Maharashtra Kumbh Mela minister Girish Mahajan said on Thursday, even as seers raised concerns about construction quality, land acquisition and unresolved preparations at key sites.
Mahajan gave the assurance during an inspection of Ramkund and the proposed Sadhugram site at Tapovan. He said the Dhwajarohan ceremony would be held on October 31, while the first and second Amrit Snans are scheduled for August 2027 and the third for September 2027. According to the minister, all major works would be finished before the bathing events and no work would remain incomplete.
The projects under way include works at Ramkund, facilities at Sadhugram and sewage infrastructure intended to prevent untreated sewage from reaching the Godavari. Mahajan said new sewage treatment plants and sewer lines were being developed, with the objective of stopping sewage from entering nullahs and eventually flowing into the river.
The scale of the works places river protection and crowd management at the centre of Nashik’s Kumbh preparations. The minister said the government would provide the facilities required by sadhus arriving for the religious gathering and maintained that departments were working to meet their deadlines. The source report did not provide project-wise completion schedules or details of the agencies executing the individual works.
The assurance followed criticism from Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad spokesperson Mahant Sanjaydas Maharaj, who questioned both the pace and quality of execution after inspecting the sites. He said land acquisition for Sadhugram had not yet been completed and that several issues remained unresolved.
Sanjaydas also raised a specific safety concern at Ramkund, saying the manner in which steps had been constructed could create an accident risk when large crowds gather. He warned that if the works were not improved, the Akhada Parishad might have to reconsider the Nashik Simhastha. His comments place the construction of public-access areas under scrutiny ahead of an event that will require large numbers of visitors to move through riverfront and bathing facilities.
Tree felling at Tapovan remains another contested issue. Mahajan said the government would follow the court’s directions and would not remove trees if the court ordered it not to do so. The report did not specify the court proceedings, the number of trees involved or the current status of any order.
The minister’s completion promise now sets a clear deadline for the administration: all key works must be ready before the Amrit Snans in August and September 2027. The immediate milestones identified in the report are the October 31 Dhwajarohan ceremony, progress on Sadhugram land acquisition, improvements to the Ramkund steps and continued execution of sewage treatment and sewer-line projects.
