Mumbai: A total of 2,702 Ganpati mandals in Mumbai have received BMC permission to erect pandals till Sunday morning, almost on par with last year’s figure.The number of permissions this year is likely to rise marginally by Monday, with some mandals expected to receive permissions at the last minute.As many as 4,164 mandals had applied for permission, show civic records, most of them for setting up pandals along roads. Of these, 2,702 have been cleared so far, while applications of 17 mandals are still pending with ward-level municipal commissioners.Some organisers like Nikhil Morye of Bal Mitra Mandal, which hosts the Mithanagar Cha Raja, said the BMC has been making efforts to streamline the permission process, but there is still scope for improvement. “The BMC has started granting five-year permissions to mandals. However, this does not mean mandals do not have to apply to the civic body, as police NOCs are routed through the BMC. In many cases, mandals also increase the size of their installations, making a fresh police clearance necessary. At times, police verification takes longer than expected, leaving organisers anxious,” he said.Naresh Dahibhavkar, president of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, said police personnel are often stretched during VVIP movements in the run-up to the festival, which can further delay clearances. “We understand that the police have other responsibilities, especially during VVIP movements, and we extend our support to the authorities. However, permissions for mandals should be processed well in advance to avoid a last-minute rush,” he said.With Ganpati immersions set to begin from Tuesday, additional municipal commissioner Avinash Dhakne on Sunday inspected key immersion sites across Mumbai, including Girgaum Chowpatty and Dadar Chowpatty in the island city, Juhu beach in the western suburbs and Powai Lake in the eastern suburbs, to review civic facilities and safety arrangements for devotees.Dhakne directed officials to inform mandals that BMC provides cranes free of charge at immersion sites for Ganesh idols and encourage them to make use of it.This year, the BMC has readied more than 383 artificial ponds for immersion of household Ganesh idols up to 6 feet in height.Dahibhavkar, however, said that at some immersion sites like Shyam Talao in Jogeshwari, the water levels have decreased which will make it difficult for taller idols to be immersed, hence they will have to be immersed at other nearby sites this year.
