Simhastha Kumbh Mela is being held in Nashik in 2027. Administrative preparations have begun, and the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has finalised the plan as per state government instructions. Initially, the civic body had prepared a draft plan of ₹17,100 crore, including land acquisition.
Divisional Commissioner Dr Pravin Gedam and Collector Jalaj Sharma, after instructing a direct check of expenditures in the plan, along with Commissioner Dr Ashok Karanjkar, inspected the proposed Simhastha site. Following this inspection, meetings with department-wise officers were held to finalise the plan. Nearly ₹2,000 crore was cut from the initial proposal, resulting in a final plan of ₹15,172 crore, including land acquisition, which will be submitted to the Divisional Revenue Commissioner through the District Collector.
In 2003, the plan was submitted for ₹230 crore, and in 2015, it was ₹1,052.61 crore. The highest expenditure in the current plan is for the construction department, with ₹541 crore allocated last year, and ₹3,952.46 crore proposed this year. About ₹200 crore was allocated for the land acquisition of Ring Road and Sadhugram last time, whereas this year, the provision is ₹5,426.34 crore. For the solid waste management department, last Kumbh saw ₹20 crore, which has now jumped to ₹238 crore. The Public Health and Sewerage Department, which had ₹29.25 crore last time, is proposed to receive ₹2,933 crore for this Kumbh. A tenfold increase is also seen in the cost of water supply schemes, with works worth ₹1,250 crore proposed.
For the first time, provisions have been made for gardens, Information and Public Relations, Citylinc buses, mechanical department, veterinary, Information and Technology, and tree fund in this year's Simhastha plan. Around ₹56 crore is allocated for the Garden Department, ₹25 crore for Information and Public Relations, ₹7.94 crore for Citylinc, ₹16 crore for mechanical, ₹55.82 crore for veterinary, ₹1 crore for Information and Technology, and ₹10 crore for the tree fund.
A consultancy firm will be appointed by the municipal corporation to prepare a detailed project report. Expert opinions and observations will be recorded for various works, with a provision of ₹430 crore in the Simhastha plan for this purpose. Last time, the Municipal Corporation received a grant of ₹636 crore from the state government, completing more than 50 per cent of Simhastha works with this grant.
A provision of ₹5,426 crore has been made in the scheme for the land acquisition of Sadhugram and the ring road to be set up in Tapovan for the accommodation of sadhus and mahants. It is unlikely to receive a subsidy from the government for land acquisition on such a large scale, so the government may adopt an option like a special TDR (Transferable Development Rights) for Simhastha land acquisition.
