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Pune police issue rules for upcoming 10-day Ganesh festival
Rules formulated after a meeting held by Pune police, municipal corporation with Ganesh mandals, public representatives, and other government stakeholders
PUNE The Pune police have issued rules and regulations for the upcoming 10-day Ganpati festival which begins on September 10. The order was passed by Ravindra Shisve, joint commissioner of Pune police.
These rules were formulated after a meeting held by the Pune municipal corporation with major Ganesh mandals, public representatives, and other government stakeholders.
For the sale of Ganpati idols, local government will give permission for certain school grounds and open grounds to set up stalls. No processions on the first or the last day will be allowed this year. The police have urged temples which have a big enough sanctum to not move the idols to mandaps. This rule will be applicable mainly for the bigger mandals, like the five main Ganpatis of Pune, which attract huge crowds of devotees.
The height of public idols is limited to four feet, while household idols cannot cross two feet in height, according to the police rules. The puja cannot be attended by more than five people who are required to follow sanitisation, use a mask, and observe social distancing.
The police have urged mandals to include only workers of those mandals among the five who attend the aarti. All other devotees will have to settle for online darshan.
The police have asked all major mandals to install and record CCTV footage around their idols. They have also urged the installation of the idol to not hamper movement of essential services like ambulances autorickshaws and other large vehicles.
In order to avoid untoward incidents like robbery or theft, the police have urged the mandals, which have large quantities of ornaments on their idols, to appoint mandal workers to maintain round the clock security.
The police have also urged mandals to not put up huge displays or ‘live’ skits which are otherwise an integral part of the celebration. The mandals are also urged to keep disinfectants like sodium hypochlorite ready and in use at all times.
No processions will be allowed for the visarjan (immersion) as well. While public mandals are urged to create immersion spots near the idols, societies are urged to form immersion spots for their own societies. Household ganpatis can be immersed inside the house. Mobile immersion pods by the municipal corporation will also be moving around the city on immersion days.
The noise pollution guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court will be in effect. Additionally the state government rules for noise pollution and the district government noise pollution control orders issued on February 4 will also be in effect between 6am and midnight. However, on the fifth day, seventh day, ninth day and the final 10th day music systems will be allowed to play from 6am till midnight. On all other days the police have urged the mandals to shut down music by 10pm.
