BMC restricts gathering for home installation of Ganesh idols

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said only five people should participate in arrival and immersion processions of domestic Lord Ganesh idols during the Ganpati festival next month in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BMC, which is spearheading Mumbai's fight against coronavirus, made a special appeal to citizens in this regard ahead of the festival to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the metropolis, which has recorded more than 1 lakh cases and nearly 6,000 deaths so far.

Requesting people to refrain from doing any act that will lead to the spread of COVID-19, the civic body warned that violators may invite strict action under relevant sections of the Epidemic Act 1897, the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the Indian Penal Code.

Asking people to follow safety protocols that include use of mask or shield, hand sanitizers and social distancing norms during the 10-day Ganpati festival, the BMC appealed to citizens to avoid participating in big processions to safeguard their families from COVID-19.

The civic body said domestic Ganpati idols should be made using eco-friendly materials and their height should not be more than two feet. "Instead of using idols made in clay, if possible worship metal or marble idols," the BMC said in a release.

The civic body asked people to carry out immersion of eco-friendly Ganpatis at home and if that is not possible, then idols should be immersed in artificial lakes. The BMC said taking out a common procession of domestic idols from a society or building should be avoided.

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Also, children and elderly persons should not be taken to immersion locations, it said. Besides public installation of Lord Ganesh idols, thousands of people install such idols at home and immerse them on different days during the 10-day festival, the most popular religious event in Maharashtra.