Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday cracked the whip on contractors executing works for the Godavari Pushkarams next month and set a deadline of June 30 for their completion. He expressed dissatisfaction that the fourth bridge across the Godavari was still not complete, and warned the contractor that he would be blacklisted if the deadline was not met.
The Chief Minister said he would visit Rajahmundry thrice – June 25, Jul1 and 7 – before the July 14 start to the Pushkarams to spur the works. He directed East Godavari collector H. Arun Kumar and Pushkram special officer K. Dhanunjaya Reddy to monitor the works on a daily basis and send reports to him.
Heavy rain in Rajahmundry put paid to a scheduled visit by the Chief Minister to the bathing ghats. He rushed directly to the R&B guesthouse from the Madhurapudi Airport to conduct a review of the Pushkaram works.
“I want to see that the Godavari Maha Pushkarams, which come once in 144 years, are organised on the lines of the Maha Kumbh Mela. They should be lathi-free, plastic-free and hassle-free,” he said.
IGP nominated
The government has nominated Harish Kumar Gupta, IGP exclusively as IG for Pushkarams, for making foolproof arrangements during the event. According to a GO issued on Thursday, Mr. Gupta has been nominated as IGP Pushkarams to coordinate with District Collectors and Special Officer (Pushkarams) and all other police officials in the twin Godavari districts.
