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Shirdi Saibaba Trust plans ₹30 crore infrastructure push ahead of Kumbh Mela in Nashik
₹13 crore will be spent on road development, while the remaining ₹17 crore will go towards creating infrastructure at the parking facilities, including CCTV surveillance systems, sheds, toilets etc
The ad hoc management committee of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust recently approved a proposal to spend ₹30 crore on infrastructure development in Shirdi ahead of the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik.
The committee is headed by SB Kachare, Prrincipal District Judge of Ahmednagar, and includes two other members: Pankaj Ashiya, Ahilyanagar district collector and Goraksha Gadilkar, chief executive officer (CEO) of Sai Sansthan Trust.
Gadilkar said that after receiving the committee’s approval, the proposal has now been sent to the Bombay High Court for mandatory clearance, after which work on the project will begin.
The 21-month-long religious gathering is scheduled to begin in October this year, with the peak rush expected between July and September next year.
“Two new roads will be developed in Shirdi to connect five new parking zones being created in the town ahead of the Kumbh Mela,” Gadilkar said.
According to him, around ₹13 crore will be spent on road development, while the remaining ₹17 crore will go towards creating infrastructure at the parking facilities, including CCTV surveillance systems, sheds, toilets and security arrangements.
Officials said the Shirdi Municipal Council is developing five parking zones, each spanning nearly 40 acres.
The Maharashtra government expects that a large number of devotees visiting Nashik for the Kumbh Mela will also travel to Shirdi and Shani Shingnapur Temple, both major pilgrimage centres in the Ahilyanagar district.
“We expect the daily footfall at the Sai temple to cross 1.5 lakh devotees during the Kumbh Mela period,” Gadilkar said. “Under normal circumstances, the temple receives more than 60,000 devotees daily, while the number crosses one lakh during weekends and holidays.”
He added that the temple administration, in coordination with local police, will put in place extensive security and crowd management arrangements to handle the expected surge in devotees during the Kumbh Mela period.
