Pune, 7th July 2026: Heavy rainfall across Pune district has severely disrupted the Ashadhi Wari, forcing lakhs of Warkaris to halt in Pune instead of proceeding to Alandi.
In response, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has converted 101 municipal school buildings into temporary accommodation centres and announced a five-day holiday for students from Tuesday to Saturday.
The decision follows flooding in the Indrayani River, which has submerged all bridges leading to Alandi, making the pilgrimage town inaccessible. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has appealed to devotees not to travel to Alandi until the flood situation improves.
The Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi was originally scheduled to depart from Alandi on Wednesday and head towards Pune on Thursday. However, with the revised arrangements, Warkaris will remain in Pune from Tuesday and continue their onward journey towards Saswad on Saturday, resulting in an extended stay of thousands of pilgrims in the city.
Mayor Manjusha Nagpure said the civic body has identified 101 municipal schools to house the devotees and directed officials to ensure clean toilets, uninterrupted drinking water supply, and additional mobile sanitation facilities at all locations. PMC has already installed 550 mobile toilets along the Palkhi route and plans to add another 1,500 over the next two days.
Apart from school buildings, large German hangar shelters have been erected at Ambedkar College, Laxmi Bazaar and Savitribai Phule Vidyalaya. Plywood flooring has been laid inside the shelters to prevent inconvenience caused by muddy conditions following continuous rainfall.
The sudden change in the pilgrimage schedule has also created logistical challenges for volunteers and Ganesh mandals, who traditionally arrange food and accommodation for Warkaris at pre-planned halt points.
With pilgrims arriving in Pune nearly two days earlier than expected, organisers are working round the clock to complete tents, kitchens and other essential facilities.
While the move prioritises the safety and welfare of devotees, it has also raised concerns over academic disruption. Students of the 101 municipal schools will miss nearly a week of classes, prompting questions over how the civic administration plans to compensate for the learning loss once schools reopen.
