In a first for Surat, organisers of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival have decided to buy insurance covers keeping in mind the safety of the public as well as the pandals and idols. According to insurance agent Jignesh Madhvani, 29 organisers, including noted names like Sarkar Group, Daliya Group, Garden Group, Fighter Group and Sai Yuvak Mandal, have taken insurance cover worth Rs 37 crore so far for pandals erected as part of the 10-day festival that commenced from Saturday evening. "The covers are in the range of Rs 25 lakh-Rs 1 crore. We wanted to create awareness among the organisers that an insurance cover is a must for them for security as they are spending lakhs of rupees behind the festival," he said. Cities like Mumbai have seen organisers insuring pandals since the past few years. However, the trend is relatively new in Surat city that has around 10,000 big players. Last year, 75,000 idols were immersed in different water bodies across the city. This year, the number is expected to touch 80,000. The Mahidharpura Daliya Street Ganesh Samithi is among the organisers who has taken an insurance cover worth Rs 1 crore covering the pandal, organisers, and public. "The idols are worth lakhs of rupees. We also decorate idols with jewellery made from gold, silver and diamonds," said Vijaybhai Jariwala, a member of the Samithi. The pandals at the Mahidharpura Daliya street attract thousands of visitors daily. “Last year, the daily footfalls were between 75,000 and 1 lakh. We have made bamboo structures on the way from the start to the end for safety and to ensure that visitors maintain the queue. The Ganesh idol is 9-feet tall and it has been made from processed sand that the idol maker brings from other states," Jariwala said. The insurance cover has been divided into three sections. "The first section covers the pandal, which includes any damage to the idol, jewellery or other expensive decorative items. The second section is for organisers in the event of an accident," he explained. The third section is for visitors. "If something happens to visitors, for example, if they are injured in a stampede, then an amount of Rs 10,000-Rs 25,000 is paid for treatment. If any visitor incurs permanent disability or loses life, Rs 1 lakh is paid to his family member. The insurance premium starts from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. The term of insurance is for 10 days," Madhvani said.
