More than 2,000 requests from Sarvajanik (public) Ganeshotsav mandals in the city have been submitted to the BMC. As of August 31st, 1,255 of the applications had been approved and 248 had been rejected for a variety of reasons. September 19 to September 28 will be dedicated to the 11-day festival.
Beginning on August 1, the civic organisation began receiving online requests for the construction of Ganpati Pandals along city streets. The implementation of a one-window system enables the Ganeshotsav mandals to request pandal authorization without separately visiting the police, traffic police, and fire department. On the BMC website, pandal authorization requests may be made until September 13 at 5 p.m. Permission will be given without charge; however, an upfront payment of Rs. 1,000 is necessary.
A civic official stated, “There are about 248 applications for reasons like there are requests by two mandals to establish a pandal in the same area or the traffic police do not grant a no objection certificate.
2,284 Ganeshotsav mandals were sanctioned by the BMC the previous year. In Mumbai, there are over 12,000 sarvajanik idols, along with 2 lakh domestic Ganpati idols.
“Applications are rejected for a variety of factors, according to a ward-level official”, The official stated, “In such a case, we are unable to process the application. “If the traffic police do not give a NOC or if there are applications by two mandals for erecting a pandal at the same location, then in such a case, we are unable to process the application,” the official said.
The president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, Naresh Dahibavkar, stated that this year, “problems are being handled right away. We are also pleased that instructions have been given for patching potholes quickly because it is well known that this issue causes trouble for mandal organisers when the idol is carried and removed for immersion. We have asked the traffic police and BMC to make the necessary arrangements as several of the well-known Ganpati mandals will be hosting the ‘aagman’ (arrival procession) of the idol from the Lalbaug-Parel workshops this weekend,” Dahibavkar added. “These days, both the immersion parade and the idol’s transportation home draw large audiences”.
“It becomes dangerous to carry idols on uneven roadways”, according to Naresh Dahibavkar, head of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS). “The BMC has been asked to fill in the potholes and resurface the roadways. Additionally, we have requested that the civic organisation clip the tree branches so that the larger idols can be removed securely”.
“They have been working to manage the applications as quickly as possible”, according to another official. “Some organisers have requested that we embrace digital payment methods, while others have asked that applications filed offline be taken into consideration. We are working to make the mandal process easier. But there are some requests that we can’t accommodate, a ward official stated”.
In the meantime, the BMC has warned that it would punish mandals with Rs 2,000 if they scrape the ground for a stage since one of the greatest complaints Mumbaikars have is potholes.
The BMC approved about 2,284 Ganpati mandals the previous year. According to the Samanvay Samiti, the city is home to 50,000 domestic idols and 12,000 sarvajanik (public) mandal.
According to the civic official, “248 requests for sandals have been turned down if two mandal have made requests to build pandals at the same site or if the traffic police have not issued a “no objection certificate.”