Nashik police and the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) have planned traffic diversions, road repairs and parking arrangements around the Kalika temple ahead of Navratri, after ongoing Kumbh Mela construction work partially disrupted Old Agra Road, one of the city’s key routes. The festival begins on October 11 and is expected to bring lakhs of devotees from Nashik and surrounding areas to the shrine.
The arrangements were discussed at a meeting between city traffic police, NMC officials and trustees of the Kalika Devi Temple Trust. The discussions focused on traffic management, devotee safety, road access and other logistics for the festival period, when the temple area in the heart of Nashik faces a sharp increase in pedestrian and vehicular movement.
Old Agra Road is a particular concern because a section of the route has been dug up for construction linked to the Kumbh Mela. The condition of the road between Hotel Sandeep and Chandak Circle was raised during the meeting as a safety issue. Temple Trust president Keshav Anna Patil requested immediate repairs to the severely dilapidated stretch and increased police patrolling during the early morning hours, particularly to improve the safety of women walking to the shrine.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Madhav Reddy said the traffic diversions would be difficult because construction work at Dwarka has limited the available alternatives. Mumbai Naka is currently the only alternative route, and closing roads leading towards it could place additional pressure on the already congested Indiranagar underpass. The traffic plan will therefore have to manage festival access without transferring the congestion to another important connection in the city.
The temple trust said it would provide 24-hour darshan during Navratri, along with a separate queue for devotees opting for paid darshan. The trust has also secured accident insurance cover of ₹5 crore for devotees, according to Patil. These arrangements are intended to support continuous visitor movement and address safety concerns during the period of highest footfall.
NMC officials assured the temple trust that roads around the temple complex would be repaired before the festival begins. The meeting was attended by temple trust office-bearers Subhash Talajia, Prataprao Kothawale and Santosh Kothawale, police inspectors Ashok Sharmale and Shrinivas Deshmukh, and officials from NMC and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited.
The immediate operational challenge will be to complete the promised road repairs and coordinate diversions before October 11, while keeping access open to the temple and preventing additional strain on routes around Mumbai Naka and the Indiranagar underpass.
