If organisers dig up roads to set up Ganesh mandals in Panvel, they will have to shell out a penalty of ₹9,000 per square metre.
The Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) will meet with the registered mandals on Tuesday to instruct and inform them of the rules and regulations for the 10-day festival this year.
“Dug-up roads will cause more traffic snarls. We will levy a heavy fine to ensure that they [organisers] take necessary measures while erecting pandals,” said Jamir Lengrekar, deputy commissioner, PCMC.
Organisers, however, felt that this was a discouraging step.
Suresh Patel, a member of Hari Ohm Samajik Mitra Mandal, said, “We would have appreciated the move if the civic body would have asked to repair the dug-up road after the festival. But, a heavy fine of ₹9,000 is uncalled for and we object to this proposal.”
Sanjay Rode, a member of Abhinav Mitra Mandal, said, “We abide by the civic body’s instructions. Penalising us for digging up roads is fine but the amount is too high. A more practical solution should have been worked out.”
Sudhir Dani, a city-based activist, said it was fair to levy heavy fine. “But the roads in PCMC nodes are already battered; there are potholes and craters on most roads. The civic body first needs to fix the roads, only then there would be a difference in digging it further,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Sudhir Dani, a city-based activist, said it was fair to levy heavy fine. “But the roads in PCMC nodes are already battered; there are potholes and craters on most roads. The civic body first needs to fix the roads, only then there would be a difference in digging it further,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Dani said pandals crop up in the middle of the road every year as there was no one to enforce the rules. “They violate noise limits in silence zones,” he said.
The civic body said ward officials have been asked to keep an eye on the violations and take strict measures if required.
The organisers have also been asked to adhere to guidelines laid out by the Supreme Court while erecting pandals.
For Ganeshotsav this year, PCMC has set up a single-window system for all organisers to register their mandals.
The civic body has so far received 32 applications to set up pandals , with the number expected to go up in the days to come.
The organisers have also been asked to dismantle the mandals right after festivities are over so that residents and commuters do not face inconvenience.
In 2018, 141 mandals in Panvel applied for permission to set up Ganpati pandals. PCMC charged each of them ₹1,500 each to get a no-objection certificate (NOC).
To set up a pandal, organisers also have to get NOCs from the fire department and the police.