BMC, mandal blame each other after Ganpati idol breaks

It was a horrifying moment for the 5,000 devotees gathered to take the Tejukayacha Raja in Lalbaug for immersion when the 12-foot-high Ganesh idol shattered to pieces on Sunday.

It was a horrifying moment for the 5,000 devotees gathered to take the Tejukayacha Raja in Lalbaug for immersion when the 12-foot-high Ganesh idol shattered to pieces on Sunday.

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The incident took place as the idol, which weighed more than one tonne, was being carted to Girgaum Chowpatty on a metal trolley, which snapped near the Chinchpokli bridge.

“It is extremely unfortunate. For the last 44 years that we brought Bappa to our mandal, we never witnessed any such mishap,” said Ram Khatse, trustee, Tejukaya Mansion Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal. “The trolley could carry a weight of two tonnes and we had taken necessary precaution for the immersion procession.”

After the idol broke around 11.30am, three hours after the procession began, it was transferred to a truck and taken to Chowpatty for immersion, mandal members said.

“The immersion procession was expected to be over in the wee hours of Monday, but it ended by 3.30pm on the same day,” said Khatse.

In the chaos, two people got injured and received first aid at Nair hospital.

While the organisers said the uneven roads could be the cause of the incident, the civic authorities blame the political banners on the road. “The idol was obstructed by banners hanging across the road. Also, the trolley carrying the idol was slightly tilted,” said Mohan Adtani, additional municipal commissioner, BMC.