Lifeguards at immersion spots can claim Rs 5 lakh as insurance at Rs 60 per head
“This is for the time that an insurance firm is providing insurance to volunteer lifeguards in the state. We have kept the premium at a rate of only Rs 60 so that even people from a low economic background can afford it,” said Sachin Khanvilkar, manager of Oriental, Mumbai City Divisional Office.
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A Ganesh idol being transported to a mandal, at Dadar on Friday. (Express Photo by Pradip Das)In a first this Ganesh Chaturthi, lifeguards who are voluntarily involved in the immersion of deities can get an insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh at a premium of Rs 60 per person. The public sector firm Oriental Insurance Company, which is the major insurance provider to Govindas in Dahi Handis, rolled out the scheme a week ahead of the festival.
“This is for the time that an insurance firm is providing insurance to volunteer lifeguards in the state. We have kept the premium at a rate of only Rs 60 so that even people from a low economic background can afford it,” said Sachin Khanvilkar, manager of Oriental, Mumbai City Divisional Office.
Two mandals from Khar Danda and Bhandup have already approached the company to claim insurance for 50 such volunteers.
Although the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) usually stations more than 700 lifeguards at different water bodies where deities are immersed in Mumbai, even this number falls short due to the heavy rush and large number of devotees, which is why volunteers are needed, said Khanvilkar.
“This year, there will be more rush as people will be celebrating the festival after two years. So, the chances of injuries among the volunteers will be more,” he added.
The insurance will be available for 27 days starting from the first day of the festival to six days after its end. “The insurance cover is aimed to cover the 21-day-long celebration. Even after the immersion, parts of the idols get stuck in water bodies so they need to be immersed again. The lifeguards who are responsible for this often sustain injuries while doing it. So, we have stretched the insurance cover by another six days after the completion of the festival,” he said.
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