Slow Sadhugram Land Work Worries Kumbh Authority; ~1,400 Acres Planned
NTKMA has told NMC to speed requisition and compensation for Sadhugram expansion from ~350 acres (2015) toward ~1,400 acres, plus parking, holding areas and a helipad. About 1,050 acres would be temporary lease from farmers; ~191 acres permanent acquisition is proposed. State sanction cited: ₹2,200 crore.
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The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority (NTKMA) has written to the Nashik Municipal Corporation urging faster land requisition and compensation for Sadhugram and related Kumbh infrastructure. The Times of India reported this on 9 October 2026. The authority's concern and the scale of the plan are confirmed in that report.
Scale of the plan (as reported)
- 2015 Sadhugram: about 350 acres at Tapovan.
- 2027 plan: expand toward about 1,400 acres.
- Beyond the existing 350 acres reserved at Tapovan, about 1,050 acres would be temporarily requisitioned on lease from farmers in Nandur, Manur and nearby areas for the mela period.
- NMC already holds about 90 acres; about 191 acres are proposed for permanent acquisition before the Kumbh.
- Allied needs named in the letter: internal parking, holding areas, a helipad and other infrastructure.
- The state government has sanctioned about ₹2,200 crore for land acquisition and related works, TOI reported.
Expanded Sadhugram is planned with temporary sanitation, bathing areas, internal roads, electrification, sector offices, police posts, devotee shelters and commercial zones.
Land and farmer-compensation disputes have also delayed a separate Sadhugram water-supply scheme reported earlier in October; treat that water-project timeline as a separate story until NMC publishes a fresh update.
