Mumbai: Rise in applications to set up pandals, 40% Ganesh mandals yet to get permission

According to data from the civic body, the BMC has received 3,991 applicants this year till Tuesday evening, out of which, 60 per cent — 2,412 applicants — were given permission.

However, nearly 40 per cent or 1,579 of the total applicants still await BMC’s nod.

The number of applications received this year, so far, records a marginal increase from last year, when the BMC had received 3,938 applications, out of which, 2,742 or 69 per cent were granted permission.

In 2023, the BMC received 3,767 applications, out of which permissions were given to 2,729 applicants.

The number of applications received by BMC have seen a marginal 2.5 per cent rise since 2023. Prior to that, the civic authorities had received fewer applications between 2020 and 2022, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Usually 70-72% of the total applications are given permission every year for setting up pandals in public places. The number of total permissions granted may go up later in the day considering the process is still ongoing. The remaining 30 per cent of the applicants that get rejected are either duplicate in nature or don’t meet the aforementioned criteria,” an official told The Indian Express.

Naresh Dahibhavkar, president of Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, (BSGSS) told The Indian Express that while the official numbers show the permissions were granted online, there were cases where many applicants received offline permission.

“This year, alongside BMC, the mandals require permission from the police and traffic department as well. In many cases, while the BMC has cleared the proposal, the clearance from the other agencies is pending,” Dahibhavkar said.

“Also, many mandals have taken offline permission for their mandals. This record needs to be updated, that’s why the numbers are showing lower than last year. The number of applications going up shows that the number of mandals in Mumbai has increased,” he added.

Meanwhile, civic authorities informed that this year, the BMC will set up more than 200 artificial lakes in Mumbai.

These lakes consist of inflatable tubes that are filled with water. Civic officials said the lakes will allow hassle-free immersion of idols and prevent the water bodies from getting polluted.

No hike in penalty for digging road

For the second consecutive year, the BMC refrained from increasing the penalty on Ganesh mandals for digging potholes on the road. Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani told The Indian Express that a penalty of Rs 2,000 per pothole will be imposed on the mandals who dig up the roads of Mumbai for setting up pandals.

Last month, the BMC had announced that it will increase the penalty amount to Rs 15,000, but the move met with furor from the Ganesh mandal community.

Following this, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde urged Mumbai’s civic chief to not increase the penalty amount.

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