The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) Commissioner, Rajendra Bhosale, along with heads of various departments of the civic body, inspected the Ashadhi Wari Palkhi route on Saturday.
The Palkhis, processions of palanquins carrying the Paduka or the revered symbolic footwear of Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, commence their journeys from Dehu and Alandi and reach Pandharpur on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi.
.jpeg)
Traditionally, the Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi halts at the Inamdar Wada in Dehu on the night of its departure, while the Palkhi of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj halts at Gandhi Wada in Alandi at night. Upon arriving in Pune city, both Palkhis take a rest day—the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi at Nivdunga Vitthal Mandir and the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi at the Palkhi Vithoba Mandir. The next day, both Palkhis start their separate journeys towards Pandharpur.
This year, the Palkhis will arrive in Pune city on June 30.
.jpeg)
Meanwhile, the PMC commissioner inspected the routes and instructed officials to set up well-equipped disaster management rooms at the Yerwada-Kalas-Dhanori Regional Office, Aundh-Baner Regional Office, and Bhawani Peth Regional Office. He also directed the officials to carry out road repairs, remove encroachments, make provisions for clean drinking water, mobile toilets, health services, etc. An order has also been issued to remove the abandoned cars from the route.
The commissioner has also directed that the pavements be repaired, the roadside boundary walls be painted concurrently, and the tree branches obstructing the Palkhi route be trimmed.
Orders were also given to the competent department regarding the darshan arrangements and barricades to prevent crowding and inconvenience to the public who come to take darshan of the Palki. While providing prasad at the resting site, it has also been requested to keep firefighting equipment on standby to avoid any potentially disastrous situations.
Additionally, enough waste pickers have been directed to be arranged to keep the locations where food is served to the Warkaris clean.
