Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav has directed officials to complete Ujjain’s Simhastha 2028 projects within prescribed deadlines, secure pending approvals in November and strengthen staffing for the preparations. The projects, estimated at about Rs 20,000 crore, cover roads, water supply, sewerage, traffic management, accommodation and facilities along routes used by devotees.
Yadav issued the instructions during a review of preparations in Ujjain on Monday. He ordered that the required officers and staff be posted at the Simhastha Mela Office, the Collectorate and the Simhastha Cell within a week. Each department, he said, must deploy a dedicated team with adequate manpower.
Divisional commissioner and Simhastha mela officer Asheesh Singh and collector Raushan Kumar Singh said 175 works were under way. The completion schedule divides the projects into four phases. Fifty-one works are scheduled to be completed by December 2026, 36 between January and March 2027, 61 between April and June 2027, and the remaining 23 between July and October 2027.
Tenders have been issued for permanent works in the fair area. Yadav directed officials to open completed projects to the public immediately, rather than hold them back until the entire programme is completed. The review also focused on managing the movement of devotees, traffic, parking and accommodation, particularly on roads leading to the ghats.
Officials were asked to develop domes along the Panchkroshi Yatra route as planned and coordinate with authorities in neighbouring states. Schools and colleges near the routes, including Sandipani schools, are to be identified for accommodation. These facilities will require toilets, drinking water and repairs before they are used for the event.
Drinking water and sewerage works in Ujjain and the fair area were given priority during the review. The tourism and police departments will jointly prepare a parking plan, while officials will examine the possibility of setting up tent cities and holding areas in Ghattia, Tarana and nearby areas. Farmers and social organisations are expected to be encouraged to establish tent cities, and the home-stay network will be expanded.
The preparations also include changes to electricity administration. A separate Simhastha division is to be created within Paschim Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company to handle power-related requirements for the event.
Yadav directed officials to minimise disruption to traders affected by road widening and to rehabilitate them through alternative markets. Plans will be prepared for utensil and gold-silver traders, including a market modelled on Vikram Cloth Market. Possible locations identified for such facilities include Nazar Ali Mill, Kavelu Karkhana and nearby sites. Shopkeepers without alternative premises are also to be accommodated, while separate teams will expedite road-widening work.
The review places the delivery of the 175 works, staffing of the dedicated administrative units and preparation of civic and traffic facilities at the centre of the Simhastha 2028 schedule. The next immediate deadlines are the November approvals and the deployment of required personnel within a week.
