Secure Palkhi procession: minister to cops

The yearly procession on foot covering more than 300 km through Pune,Satara and Solapur districts will start on June 15 from Alandi and Dehu.

Elected representatives of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC),Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Zilla Parishad along with officials attended the meeting. Officials from the civic bodies,water resource department,police department and MSEDCL were present. Divisional Commissioner Dilip Band and District Collector Chandrakant Dalvi too attended.

Pawar urged the district administration to prepare a disaster management plan for handling any eventuality during the procession. “There should be police booths and help centres for the warkaris,” he said,adding that a dedicated controlroom for the public should be set up.

The Pune division of the MSEDCL has been told that there should not be any loadshedding during the procession in the district as it may cause inconvenience to the citizens,the guardian minister said. The district administration has been asked to make all preparations for the warkaris by taking over government or private land for the event.

The PMC and the PCMC have been directed to repair all roads on the procession route and provide facilities for drinking and other purpose. A team of local doctors will provide medication to any warkaris who may fall ill during the procession,Pawar said.