Mumbai: Cops to hold workshops for Ganpati Mandals, address security concerns

Focusing on the pedestrians’ issues and security concerns, the Mumbai Police will hold workshops for volunteers from Ganpati mandals, over two days next week.

Focusing on the pedestrians’ issues and security concerns, the Mumbai Police will hold workshops for volunteers from Ganpati mandals, over two days next week.

“We will soon submit a list of volunteers to the department. For small pandals, 10 volunteers will attend the workshop while bigger pandals will have more volunteers for security training,” said Naresh Dahibavkar, convener of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvaya Samiti.

Following CM Devendra Fadnavis’s directive to provide single-window clearance for Ganesh mandals, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will set up the system in all 24 wards for mandals to obtain swifter clearances.

After a Bombay high court (HC) directive against structures encroaching public roads, the civic body has drafted rules for setting up pandals this year, keeping in mind the inconvenience caused to pedestrians during festivals.

In the policy, the BMC has made it compulsory for all mandals to get approvals from the police, traffic and fire departments (see box). With a single-window clearance system in place, organisers are expecting that the system will fast track the process.

Civic body said that many applications are pending with the police and has been forwarded from BMC. Around 5,000 applications are received by BMC, two weeks ahead of the festival.