Will amend laws for Ganeshotsav celebrations, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that the government would amend the existing laws, if needed, to facilitate the celebration of Ganeshotsav in Mumbai.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday that the government would amend the existing laws, if needed, to facilitate the celebration of Ganeshotsav in Mumbai.

The move comes in the backdrop of the Bombay high court (HC) order questioning the use of roads and footpaths for setting up pandals during festivals, inconveniencing citizens.

Representatives of a cultural wing of the BJP met Fadnavis on Tuesday and expressed concern over the court order and the confusion among the organisers. “The Ganesh festival has historic significance and it is an integral part of the social fabric of the city,” he told the delegation represented by the party’s city unit chief Ashish Shelar.

On June 24, the HC had said worshipping idols at public places was not a fundamental right. “That citizens have the fundamental right to walk on roads and foothpaths that are in a good condition should be considered by the municipal commissioners while using their discretionary powers to grant permission for putting up temporary pandals on roads and footpaths,” justice Abhay Oka and justice Revati Mohite-Dere had said.