In Nashik, the roads are dug up. Massive pipelines run underground. Bridges are rising. Surveillance systems are being designed. New sewage plants are taking shape. To many residents, it may look like a city under construction. But for Manisha Khatri, every broken road and every construction site is part of a much larger vision — preparing Nashik for the Mahakumbh 2027.
A 2014-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, Khatri is currently serving as the Municipal Commissioner of Nashik Municipal Corporation. Over the next two years, she will lead one of the most complex urban management exercises in the country: preparing a historic city to host nearly 12 crore pilgrims during the Kumbh Mela.
Speaking to Indian Masterminds, Khatri described the task as both stressful and deeply meaningful.
“The biggest challenge is to meet the expectations of the local people and also the pilgrims who will come here,” she said. “Cleanliness, crowd management, traffic management — these are the things people directly experience. We want to perform very well at that.”
A CITY PREPARING FOR 12 CRORE PEOPLE
The Nashik-Trimbak Kumbh Mela Authority has planned infrastructure around an estimated footfall of 12 crore devotees. But officials know the real numbers could be much higher.
Prayagraj’s recent Mahakumbh saw far more visitors than originally expected. Nashik wants to be prepared for such a possibility.
The preparation is not just about temporary arrangements. Khatri says the city is using the Kumbh as an opportunity to solve long-term urban problems.
Roads are being redesigned. Water systems are being upgraded. Traffic corridors are being planned. Sewage treatment is being modernised.
And unlike many Indian cities, Nashik is trying to do all underground utility work before rebuilding roads.
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THE ‘DIG ONCE’ STRATEGY
One of the biggest complaints in Indian cities is that roads are repeatedly dug up after construction. Nashik wants to avoid that.
Khatri explained that eight major utilities — including water pipelines, gas pipelines, electricity lines and optical fibre cables — are being laid together before road construction begins.
“Generally in India, we first make roads, then dig them again for utilities,” she told Indian Masterminds. “We planned all utilities together so these roads are not dug again for the next 20 to 30 years.”
According to her, utility work that usually takes years has been completed within months. The actual road construction phase is now expected to move quickly.
The city is also building nine bridges and improving 28 major roads connected to the Kumbh route.
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CLEAN GODAVARI AT THE CENTRE OF THE PLAN
Perhaps the most ambitious part of Nashik’s Kumbh preparation is the effort to keep the Godavari river clean during the festival.
Khatri said the corporation is building modern sewage treatment plants and sewerage networks along both banks of the river so that untreated sewage does not enter the Godavari.
The project uses advanced SBR and tertiary treatment technology. An online SCADA monitoring system will continuously check water quality levels.
The entire system will be connected to an Integrated Command and Control Centre.
“We are on record saying not even a single drop of sewage should go into the river,” Khatri said. “Only if the treatment plant performs according to bathing quality standards will payments be released.”
The administration is using a PPP model where private operators are financially accountable for maintaining quality standards.
Officials believe the project could keep the river clean for the next 25 years, benefiting not just the Kumbh but future generations as well.
TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN CROWD MANAGEMENT
Managing crores of pilgrims during the Kumbh requires more than manpower. Nashik is planning a highly technology-driven event.
The city’s Smart City command centre is being upgraded with AI-based systems for crowd monitoring, traffic regulation, sanitation tracking and water flow management.
CCTV feeds, GPS-based waste tracking and real-time analytics will all be integrated into the central control room.
The administration is also working with technology platforms such as Google to simulate crowd scenarios and improve mobility planning.
Special logistics corridors, parking systems and pedestrian movement plans are being created to reduce congestion.
Khatri said quick-response systems are also being designed for emergencies.
The administration is planning specialised “Ghat ICUs” and rapid medical response teams near bathing areas.
SANITATION, WASTE AND BIO-CNG
Handling waste during the Kumbh is another massive challenge.
More than 15,000 sanitation workers are expected to be deployed during the event. Nashik is also increasing the capacity of its waste treatment systems.
The city is building a Bio-CNG plant to process the large quantity of organic waste expected during the Kumbh.
The project has been approved under central schemes and is expected to strengthen Nashik’s long-term waste management system.
ENCROACHMENT REMOVAL WITHOUT DISPLACEMENT
One sensitive issue in old cities is encroachment removal. Nashik faced similar challenges while implementing the Ramkal Path heritage corridor project near the Godavari.
But Khatri says the administration followed a rehabilitation-first approach.
Residents and vendors were rehabilitated within the same area through housing and vending zones before encroachments were cleared.
“Ramkal Path has not displaced a single person,” she said. “People became our biggest supporters because they saw we were creating facilities for them too.”
THE HUMAN SIDE OF THE MISSION
Behind the ambitious planning is also a personal struggle.
For Khatri, balancing family responsibilities and the pressure of delivering a successful Mahakumbh is emotionally demanding.
“It is stressful,” she admitted during the conversation with Indian Masterminds. “The biggest thing is that we have to deliver quality work in the shortest possible time.”
But despite the pressure, she sees the Kumbh as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Nashik.
The city’s water security, roads, mobility systems and river cleaning projects are all being designed to serve Nashik long after the pilgrims leave.
For Nashik, Mahakumbh 2027 is not just a religious gathering. Under Manisha Khatri’s leadership, it is becoming a blueprint for how Indian cities can prepare for the future while preserving faith, heritage and human dignity.
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