The Telangana government has earmarked ₹1,000 crore for the Godavari Pushkaralu 2027, with Cabinet Sub-Committee Chairman and Minister for Information Technology and Industries Duddilla Sridhar Babu directing officials to commence ground-level works in the first week of September and wrap up the tender process by the end of August. The announcement came during a high-level Cabinet Sub-Committee review meeting held at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat in Hyderabad on Friday, 14 August.

Key Decisions from the Review Meeting

The Cabinet Sub-Committee, attended by ministers Konda Surekha, Tummala Nageswara Rao, Ponnam Prabhakar, Seethakka, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Vivek Venkataswamy, and Adluri Laxman Kumar, along with State Government Advisor P. Sudarshan Reddy, conducted a department-wise review of preparedness and progress. Members provided specific operational guidance to officials present at the meeting.

Minister Sridhar Babu ordered the appointment of special officers for 'Tier-1' areas expected to draw heavy pilgrim footfall. He also called for the establishment of dedicated command and control centres at key locations along the Godavari belt.

Infrastructure and Coordination Directives

Senior officials from all concerned departments were instructed to ensure works are completed within the stipulated timeframe without any compromise on quality, and to conduct regular field visits to monitor progress. The Endowments Department was specifically directed to deploy a dedicated dashboard for tracking daily work progress.

Road connectivity emerged as a priority concern. Officials were told to identify and address any gaps in transportation infrastructure immediately, using local funds where necessary, so that pilgrims arriving for the Pushkaram face no disruptions en route to the ghats.

Stakeholder Involvement and Accountability

The government mandated active participation of local public representatives, Collectors, Superintendents of Police (SPs), district officials, and scholars in the event arrangements. Minister Sridhar Babu also suggested identifying voluntary and private organisations willing to serve devotees well in advance of the festival.

Officials were clearly warned that any negligence in Pushkaram preparations would invite strict action. The minister stressed that seamless inter-departmental coordination is the single most critical factor in ensuring a smooth, inconvenience-free experience for millions of pilgrims.

What Is Godavari Pushkaralu

Godavari Pushkaralu is one of the most significant Hindu pilgrimages in southern India, held once every 12 years along the banks of the Godavari river. The festival draws tens of millions of devotees for ritual bathing at sacred ghats. The 2015 edition witnessed a tragic stampede at Rajahmundry, making crowd management and infrastructure planning a matter of both administrative and public-safety urgency for the 2027 edition.

With the event still roughly two years away, the early mobilisation of ₹1,000 crore and the structured sub-committee oversight signal that Telangana is treating the 2027 Pushkaralu as a major state priority — and a test of its governance capacity at scale.