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Ganpati mandals in Pune to maintain chariot height restrictions during immersion procession
The city police on Thursday said that they have guided Ganpati mandals in Pune on chariot height restrictions, given the construction of metro bridges at various locations in the city
The city police on Thursday said that they have guided Ganpati mandals in Pune on chariot height restrictions, given the construction of metro bridges at various locations in the city.
Police commissioner Amitabh Gupta said, “We have decided to measure the height of the immersion procession chariots of all Ganpati mandals before the actual procession begins. Only those chariots will be allowed that follow the height restriction of 18 feet, considering the construction of metro bridges at various locations in the city.
The Pune city police have already issued guidelines and appealed to Ganpati mandals to maintain the height of chariots that pass Sambhaji bridge (Lakdi pul) at 18 feet as the metro overbridge on Sambhaji bridge is at a height of 21 feet.
As the metro overbridge at Garware metro station on Karve road is at a height of 17 feet while Garware metro station itself is at a height of 18 feet from the ground, the police have appealed to Ganpati mandals participating in the immersion procession in these areas to maintain the height and width of their chariots at 16 and 12 feet, respectively. As the branches of trees along the footpath near ICICI bank on Karve road have grown to a height of 12 feet covering the service road, the police have appealed to Ganpati mandals participating in the immersion procession in this area to maintain chariot height at 12 feet.
Apart from height restrictions, Gupta said that they have requested all mandals to cooperate with the Supreme Court (SC) guidelines related to noise pollution. “All mandals should turn off their loudspeakers after 12 am and if anybody approaches us with a noise violation complaint, we will take strict action against the offenders,” he said.
Gupta on Thursday held a meeting with all senior police officers regarding the bandobast on the last day of the Ganesh festival. During the meeting, he instructed them to strictly follow rules and regulations and guidelines so as to maintain law and order in the city during the immersion procession. There are 3,566 Ganpati mandals across the city. Till September 7, around 333 Ganesh idols from various Ganpati mandals and 204,653 idols from various homes were immersed in artificial ponds and at the ghats. On the last day however, 2,969 Ganesh idols from various homes and 222,977 Ganesh idols from various Ganpati mandals will be immersed, Gupta informed while addressing the press conference on Thursday.
The Pune police on Thursday said that they are well prepared for the last day of the festival. Sharing details, they said that there will be fixed points and patrolling will be carried out at all sensitive spots. Moreover, there will be heavy bandobast for all Manache Ganpati. Traffic diversions have been planned, considering the heavy rush on roads. The police have identified 153 points for barricading purposes.
The police expect the immersion procession to continue for one or two hours more this year as the festival is being celebrated after a gap of two years. “It is true that there are no restrictions on immersion procession timings. However, it is necessary that Ganesh mandals observe restrictions themselves so that we can complete the procession on time,” Gupta said.
The Pune city police have deployed a 4,579-strong force on the road to maintain law and order during the immersion procession, according to officials. Additionally, four assistant police commissioners, 10 police inspectors, 50 assistant police inspectors, 250 police staffers, two teams of SRP, and 259 home guards will be deployed to maintain the law and order situation. Meanwhile, wine shops and bars in Pune city will be closed on Friday till such time the immersion procession is completed.
Tracking of prominent mandals
Pune police have decided to make available a facility to track ‘Manache Ganpati’ and other important Ganesh immersion procession on Twitter. After ‘Wari Procession Tracking Facility’ now this is first time, Pune police will take the Ganesh visarjan procession live to the public.With this information, residents can make their plans accordingly.
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Metro line to run till midnight on Friday
On the last date of Ganeshotsav, Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro) has decided to run Pune Metro services till 1 am on September 9. The facility will help residents take part in Ganpati immersion processions as many roads will be closed for traffic.
Hemant Sonawane, public relations officer, Pune Metro, said, “Every 30 minute, there would be a train. This service is available only on Vanaz to Garware College route.”
