Cooking gas for lakhs of warkaris from this year

With the annual Ashadi Palkhi pilgrimage just round the corner, the food distribution officer (FDO) of Pune has made special arrangements for providing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders to lakhs of warkaris taking part in the procession.

Under this scheme a total of 1,200 cylinders will be made available exclusively for the pilgrims.

The annual pilgrimage, starting simultaneously from the temple towns of Dehu and Alandi, attracts lakhs of pilgrims from all over Maharashtra and neighbouring states.

The devotees walk to the temple town of Pandharpur in Satara after crossing more than 150 km in a month’s time.

The warkaris are divided in groups, called dindis, and carry their own resources for cooking their meals on the way. Last year, paucity of gas cylinders had caused a lot of inconvenience to the
devotees.

However, this year the FDO has made special arrangements for distribution of gas cylinders to the dindis.

The FDO of Pune city, Dnyaneshwar Jawanjal, said that special instructions have been given to the LPG distributors in the district asking them to facilitate proper distribution of the cylinders to the dindis. “At the stay points, vehicles carrying gas cylinders would be taken and empty cylinders will be exchanged,” he said.