Mumbai:
Mumbai is steeped in devotion to welcome the annual homecoming of Lord Ganesh as the 10-day festival began on Tuesday with decorations in pandals and houses putting finishing touches.
A total of 2,729 ‘sarvajanik Ganeshotsav mandals’ have been given permission to organize public Ganesh festivities by setting up ‘pandals’, the city government said on Monday.
Preparations for the festival were completed with a special drive, during which pandal premises, idol immersion routes and places, among others, were checked.
To ensure security during the festival, which will see millions of people visit pandals in 10 days, over 13,750 police personnel have been deployed in the city, an official said.
They consist of 11,726 constables, 2,024 officers from the rank of sub-inspector to assistant commissioner and 15 deputy commissioners, he said on Monday.
Notifications from the traffic police mentioned several measures for smooth flow of vehicles in the metropolis, including a ban on heavy vehicles on certain days.
“There will be a ban on the operation of private buses and heavy vehicles in South Mumbai on September 21,24,26 and 29. Between September 19 and 29, all types of heavy vehicles will be allowed to ply between midnight and 7 am, except September 21,24,26 and 29 in South Mumbai,” the official said.
On the day of the immersion (September 28), there will be an increased police presence at the spot and details of manpower will be taken out, the official said.
Ganesh festivities are the most attended in Mumbai, with idols of Lord Ganesh being installed in pandals and at homes.
Right from the launch of Chandrayaan-3 to Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, Ganesh mandals in Mumbai have gone all out with the themes for the pandals.
Mumbaikars throng the city’s popular shopping spots, Dadar, Crawford Market and Lohar Chawl, to buy decor items, flowers and puja materials and other festival essentials.
People are in for a visual treat this year as the city’s Ganesh mandals have come up with fascinating thematic decorations for their pandals.
Pandal hoppers will get to see themes of the launch of Chandrayaan-3, the Ayodhya Ram Temple and the 350th anniversary of the coronation of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, showcased by large mandals or pandals in the city.
While a majority of major mandals have already taken their idols in grand processions to the pandals in the past few weeks, the ‘bappas’ of the household will make their way home on Tuesday to the beat of drums and cheerful chants.
A large number of devotees are expected to visit Lalbaug in central Mumbai to catch a glimpse of Lalbaugcha Raja, one of the city’s most celebrated Ganeshas, followed by Ganpati of GSB Seva Mandal in Matunga, which will be considered the richest and known for its grandeur.
Other famous Ganesh mandals are in Chinchpokli, Ganesh Gully and Tejukaya.
Besides this, people can also see the city’s tallest Ganesha, at a height of 45 feet, in the Khetwadi area of Girgaum.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has completed works such as filling up potholes, pruning trees and cleaning areas and deployment of medical, ‘nirmalya’ and lifeguard teams has been completed.
According to a press release from BMC, a special cleaning drive was undertaken in Mumbai on Sunday as part of the Union government’s ‘Indian Cleanliness League 2.0’, an inter-city cleaning competition.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)