No decision on height of Ganpati idols yet: Mandals

Two days after CM Uddhav Thackeray appealed to keep the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations a low-key affair amid the Covid-19 outbreak, he held a meeting with key mandals

Two days after CM Uddhav Thackeray appealed to keep the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations a low-key affair amid the Covid-19 outbreak, he held a meeting with key mandals in the state on Saturday.

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Despite deliberations, the decision over the height of the idols at public pandals was deferred after some organisers demanded the state to allow the idols to be up to at least five feet instead of the three feet proposed by government. The organisers also assured that they will ensure social distancing norms at the pandals. The final decision over the height of the idols is expected to be taken by the state next week, after another meeting with representatives from the mandals.

Every year, some public mandals even get idols which are more than 20-feet high.

“We will decide over the height of the idol after the government announces the height limit. Our mandal has decided to cooperate with the government,” said Sudhir Salvi, secretary of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav Mandal.

He said the mandals also discussed several other issues pertaining to the festivities, which included considering last year’s permission as valid for setting up the pandals.

Gajanan Tondvalkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Ganeshmurtikar Sangh, said, “All the sculptors are following the state government’s norms and are making idols of 21 inches [1.75 feet] in height for homes and up to three feet for public mandals. We also are making the idols from clay instead of the traditional plaster of Paris. We also expect the government to help us with permissions for our workshops, transportation and immersion.”