Pune Municipal Corporation to request district collector to declare Dry Day on Shiv Jayanti

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will request the district collector to declare a Dry Day, prohibiting the sale or serving of liquor in the city, on February 19 on account of Shiv Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Maratha king Shivaji, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said on Tuesday.
“We will have written communication with the Pune collector for declaring a Dry Day on February 19 for the birth anniversary of the Maratha king,” Ram said in response to demands made by social organisations.
On the occasion, various social organisations hold processions to promote the values of the Maratha king.
The district administration, state government, and Union government have the powers to declare a Dry Day. It is declared during national holidays and religious festivals to respect cultural sensitivities, as well as during elections to maintain public order.
Ram asked representatives of social organisations in the city to submit suggestions about celebrating Shivaji’s birth anniversary in writing. Social organisations have urged the PMC to provide a dedicated path for Shiv Jayanti processions and make necessary arrangements for the convenience of residents.
“The PMC will request the Pune traffic police to provide an alternative road for traffic movement to avoid chaos on the path of the processions. Also, the civic body will provide traffic wardens along the procession route,” said the municipal commissioner.
The PMC will also take up cleanliness and beautification initiatives across the city on the occasion, Ram said. “Overhead cables that might obstruct the procession will be removed. Moreover, a team of civic officers will visit various locations in the city to resolve issues,” he said.
All Shivaji statues in public places will be cleaned ahead of the festival and will be garlanded on February 19, Ram added.
The municipal commissioner said the PMC would get the Lal Mahal, where the Maratha king spent his childhood and was groomed, cleaned, and decorated. “The Lal Mahal will be kept open for more hours than every day so that citizens can visit it as per their convenience,” he said, adding that schools run by the civic body would hold painting, elocution, drama, and fancy dress competitions for students on the theme of Shivaji’s life.
Social organisations have also demanded that the PMC provide drinking water, mobile toilets, and mobile clinics on the procession route on February 19. They also want a single-window system to apply for permission to hold Shiv Jayanti processions.