Alandi Municipal Council has allowed a pilot facility that purifies water drawn from the Indrayani River and provides it for bathing by pilgrims and devotees visiting the town. The facility, called Amritstambh, supplies 18 litres of filtered water in six minutes and currently charges ₹20 per bath as a maintenance fee.
The system has been installed near the Indrayani river ghat by Pune-based Darshan Industries Private Limited. The company has developed and is operating the facility on an experimental basis, with the municipal council providing the required space.
According to company director C. P. Thakkar, the system filters river water before making it available for bathing. The facility is intended to provide an alternative for visitors who may not be able to enter the river, including elderly people, children and women.
A separate changing facility for women has been provided near the structure. The initiative is also expected to reduce crowding at the ghat during periods when large numbers of devotees visit Alandi for darshan of the samadhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj.
The company is currently bearing the cost of installing the equipment, electricity, maintenance and staff. A ₹20 charge is being collected for each bath as a maintenance fee. Residents have urged that the fee be reduced or that the service be provided free, saying a lower charge would make it more accessible to ordinary pilgrims and financially weaker visitors.
The arrangement also places the facility within a wider question of how temporary or pilot public services are funded and maintained in pilgrimage towns. At present, the municipal council has provided land but is not bearing the operating expenses. The private company is managing the system and paying the related costs while the pilot continues.
Madhav Khandekar, chief officer of Alandi Municipal Council, said the initiative was currently being run on an experimental basis. He said the council could make a financial provision in the future and take over the facility, creating the possibility of offering the service free or at a lower rate.
The council’s proposed future role, including whether it will fund operations and how the service will be priced, remains to be determined as the pilot progresses.
