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Pune commissioner urged to allow smaller mandals to lead immersion day procession
Social worker Sanjay Digambar Balgude who has questioned about why the five Manache Ganpati mandals were entitled to lead Ganesh immersion ceremony, on Monday stated he had petitioned the Pune police commissioner to take a decision over the issue of self-declared immersion rights of the prominent mandals
Social worker Sanjay Digambar Balgude who has questioned about why the five Manache Ganpati mandals were entitled to lead Ganesh immersion ceremony, on Monday stated he had petitioned the Pune police commissioner to take a decision over the issue of self-declared immersion rights of the prominent mandals.
“The immersion procession takes a long time every year and puts a heavy burden on the entire police machinery. Whether we will abide by the law or by unnecessary traditions is the moot question. The immersion continues for over 40 hours affecting the immersion process which hampers normal city life and citizens the next day putting them to severe hardship. This discrimination between the big five and smaller Ganpati mandals must now end with the changing times,” said Balgude.
Balgude had filed an RTI application on March 24, 2022 seeking information as to whether any law or rule states that only five traditional and respected mandals had the first right for immersion.
Pune-based Badhai Samaj Trust president Shailesh Badhai had recently filed a petition in the high court requesting it to direct the administration to allow small Ganpati mandals in the city to take out the immersion procession before the Manache Ganpatis for immersion. Pune Badhai Samaj Trust which was established in 1893 and is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. The high court is scheduled to hear the petition on September 6.
Badhai said, “The current practice of allowing Manache Ganpati mandals the first right and denying the small mandals amounts to inequality and discrimination ,” he said.
