Hold simple celebrations for Ganesh festival, no processions: CM to mandals

This year, Ganeshotsav – one of Mumbai’s biggest and most popular festivals – will be a low-key event, with chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray urging all Ganpati

This year, Ganeshotsav – one of Mumbai’s biggest and most popular festivals – will be a low-key event, with chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray urging all Ganpati mandals to keep celebrations simple, in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

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At a video conference with mandals from Mumbai and Pune, Thackeray said that this year, the Ganpati festival should be celebrated keeping safety in mind.

The CM also urged mandals not to organise processions and gatherings. The chief minister’s office said that mandals have agreed to comply with the state’s request.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, home minister Anil Deshmukh, state cabinet ministers Satej Patil and Shambhuraj Desai, Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar, chief secretary Ajoy Mehta, municipal commissioner IS Chahal, Maharashtra’s director general of police Subodh Jaiswal, Mumbai Police commissioner Parambir Singh, and representatives of Ganesh mandals and idol makers across Maharashtra were present for the video meeting.

CM told representatives of mandals to decide the guidelines for a simple and safe celebration.

Sudhir Salvi, secretary of Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, one of the biggest mandals in the city, said, “We have received instructions from the chief minister. Now we will define the guidelines after a meeting with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). We are a big mandal and see huge crowds every year, so we will have to strictly define crowd management and control.”