Nashik undergoes facelift ahead of Kumbh Mela

The historic city of Nashik, known as the abode of Lord Rama during his 14 years of exile, is undergoing a major facelift ahead of the Simahastha Kumbh Mela celebrations. 

Given the fact that Nashik is also associated with dynasties like Mauryas, Satavahanas, Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas and Yadavas among other others, the Kumbh Mela — held once in 12 years — holds a special place among other kumbh melas of Allahabad, Haridwar and Ujjain.
Nashik city and the adjoining temple town of Trimbakeshwar, where one of the 12 jyotirlingas is situated, as well as the entire district have undergone a major change and are all set for the Kumbh Mela, which starts on June 15, 2015 and ends in September 2016.

The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) is undertaking works to the tune of Rs 800 crore, which are currently under various stages of completion. “Work to the tune of Rs 600 crore has already been completed and the rest would be completed between June 15 and 30. By June-end, Nashik would be completely ready for the Kumbh Mela,” Nashik deputy mayor Gurmeet Singh Bagga told Deccan Herald.

The major works that had been undertaken include construction of roads and ring roads, construction of Sadhugram at Tapovan on a 300-acre land, drainage, creation of health facilities, two filtration plants of 68 mld and the cleaning of the Godavari river. For enhancing security and ensuring smooth traffic, a Rs 18-crore project has been undertaken to set up a CCTV network and a control room.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan, who is the in charge of Nashik district, have held a series of meetings. In the next one month, several meetings of the government, NMC, police and security agencies have been planned.