The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's K west Andheri region officials have request Ganesh mandals to not bring more than one Ganpati in each ward. There are a total of 13 wards in K west region and are over 150 mandals in the region. Mumbai, the most affected city in India’s worst-hit state has crossed 100,000 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) infections.
According to Indian Express, BMC has received 150 applications from areas within its jurisdiction to erect Ganesh pandals or set up stages on roads and footpaths for the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, slated to be held from August 22 this year.
Mumbai has around 14,000 major Ganesh pandals each year. Some Ganesh Mandals install 20- to 25-foot-high idols. On July 11, Maharashtra government had issued guidelines for the celebration of Ganeshotsav in the state. It is mandatory for all public Ganesh mandals to take prior permission from local authorities.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had also called for a low-key celebration in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The state in its notification has recommended reducing the size of pandals, a ban on offerings like flowers and garlands, sanitising pandals thrice a day, and ensuring only five workers are inside a pandal at a time.
As per the new guidelines, pandals which were permitted last year, need not make fresh applications to the civic body. There are over 2,500 such pandals in the city. BMC receives between 3,000 and 4,000 applications from various organisers across the city each year.
Ganpati Mandals, meanwhile, have been urged to consider cancelling this year’s festivities and have also been asked to conduct public awareness campaigns, blood donation camps, health check-ups and other public health programmes during the festival. The Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, which is Mumbai’s most-visited Mandal, has already called off this year’s festivities in light of the pandemic.
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