PUNE: City’s Ganpati immersion procession concluded on Saturday evening after continuing for more than 33 hours, over an hour longer than last year, as hundreds of mandals took part in the Anant Chaturdashi procession.
The procession, which began from Belbaug Chowk at 8.43am on Friday, concluded at Alka Talkies at 6.10 pm on Saturday, before proceeding to the river banks. Each of the participating mandals got ample time to display their skills.
More than 650 mandals participated in the main procession through prominent routes, including Laxmi Road, Kumthekar Road and Kelkar Road, before reaching Tilak Chowk. The routes were packed with devotees who gathered to bid farewell to the idols.
Maharashtra Tarun Mandal from Kashewadi was the last mandal in the main procession. It reached Natraj Ghat and immersed its idol around 7.33pm on Saturday.
According to Pune police data, 4,170 public Ganesh mandals and 624,685 household Ganesh idols were immersed during this year’s 10-day festival. The immersion procession was delayed after several mandals halted their processions around midnight and resumed on Saturday morning.
All five ‘Manache Ganpati’—Kasba, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Tulshibaug, Guruji Talim and Kesariwada—completed their immersion by 6.30 pm on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}All five ‘Manache Ganpati’—Kasba, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Tulshibaug, Guruji Talim and Kesariwada—completed their immersion by 6.30 pm on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}The Kasba Ganpati procession started first at around 8.43am, followed by Tambdi Jogeshwari at 9.18 am, Guruji Talim moved out at about 9:39 am, while Tulshibaug and Kesariwada followed at around 9:30am and 9:26am, respectively. Kasba Ganpati was immersed at around 4.43 pm followed by Tambdi Jogeshwari at about 5.02pm, Guruji Talim 5:05 pm, Tulshibaug and Kesariwada at around 5.40 pm and 5.34 pm respectively.
The Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati, another major attraction, was immersed at Panchaleshwar Ghat at 8.27pm on Friday.
Mahesh Suryawanshi, treasurer, Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Trust, said, “Like every year, this year too, we have received immense response from devotees. As committed earlier, we started our immersion procession by 4pm.”
Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said the immersion procession passed off peacefully, with no untoward incident reported. “There was no untoward incident during the entire immersion procession,” he said, adding that extensive security arrangements had been made along the procession routes.
Police also monitored noise levels at more than 100 locations. Kumar said preliminary observations indicated lower noise levels compared with previous years. Police are compiling data on violations and will take action against those found exceeding prescribed limits.
Meanwhile, the Shri Kasba Ganpati Mandal apologised for the delay in its procession. The mandal said several chariots of other mandals had been stationed between the festival pavilion and the Tilak statue at Mandai, blocking the route and delaying its palanquin by around 30 minutes.
20-year-old dies
A 20-year-old man died after falling from a moving tractor trolley on BT Kawade Road around 4pm on September 25 while returning from the Ganpati immersion procession.
Police identified the deceased as Vighnesh Santosh Pawar, a resident of Ramtekdi. According to police, Pawar was running behind the moving trolley and attempted to climb onto it near Vijay Sales at Kalubai Chowk when he lost his balance and fell.
The trolley’s rear wheel ran over his head, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to Sassoon General Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Noise concerns
Meanwhile, Vidyanand Bapat, who has been campaigning against high-decibel DJs, loudspeakers and dhol-tasha performances during public festivals, said that there was no reduction in noise levels during the immersion procession.
“If anyone claims otherwise, they should visit the Peth areas, which were among the worst affected by noise pollution during the procession,” Bapat told the media, calling for stricter implementation of existing laws and regulations.