Pune police permit two-year regular mandals in main immersion procession

Permission would cover mandals that have been taking out processions on routes such as Laxmi Road, Kelkar Road and Kumthekar Road for at least two years

Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Monday said that not only traditional mandals but those with at least two years of participation on main routes will be allowed in the immersion processions.

Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar during a press conference in the city on Monday. (VIDEO GRAB)

The decision comes after representatives of more than 50 Ganesh mandals approached senior Pune police officials seeking permission to participate in the city’s main Ganesh immersion procession, challenging the administration’s earlier decision to restrict around 150 mandals from entering the traditional immersion routes this year

“Traditionally, permission to participate in the main immersion procession is given to the established Ganesh mandals. However, some mandals had requested special permission, stating that they had been conducting processions for the past two or three years. We have considered these requests and decided to grant permission to such mandals as well,” Kumar said.

He said the permission would cover mandals that have been taking out processions on routes such as Laxmi Road, Kelkar Road and Kumthekar Road for at least two years.

The delegations were led by Atul Vaidya, executive chairman of Model Colony Sangharsh Mitra Mandal.

“The majority of the mandals that received notices are not new. Almost four years ago, after completing all legal formalities, we started participating in the visarjan procession,” Vaidya said.

Earlier, the Pune police and Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had decided to reduce the duration of the main immersion procession by restricting around 150 mandals that had been given temporary permission to participate in the main routes over the past two years. Notices have subsequently been issued to the affected mandals.

The move followed a meeting between the police and civic administration, which reviewed the growing number of participating mandals and the increasing duration of the procession.

In 2022, around 608 mandals participated in the procession along the four routes. The number rose sharply to 1,015 in 2023. Pune currently has around 4,170 registered public Ganesh mandals.

The main immersion procession last year took 32 hours and 26 minutes to complete, while the overall immersion process continued for nearly 34 hours until the last idol was immersed.

Police officials have cited prolonged halts by mandals, large crowds, dhol-tasha groups and other obstructions as factors contributing to the delay. The administration has said regulating the number of mandals on the main routes is necessary to improve crowd and traffic management and reduce the overall duration of the procession.