Mumbai’s civic body has prepared elaborate arrangements for the upcoming Ganpati festival, scheduled to begin on September 14. According to Mayor Ritu Tawde, the city will create 383 artificial ponds to accommodate household idols up to six feet tall. The plan aims to manage the influx of devotees and ensure a smooth procession.
Mayor Tawde and Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi inspected several immersion sites during the day, including Sheetal Talao in Kurla, Morya Talao in Mulund, Powai Lake, Shamnagar Talao in K‑North ward and Juhu beach, according to a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation release. Their visit underscored the importance of safety and accessibility at these locations.
The mayor directed officials to provide adequate rafts, drinking water, lifeguards, and separate mobile toilets for men and women at all immersion sites. The BMC also supplied sculptors with ‘shadu’ clay and eco‑friendly colours, performed pothole repairs, pruned roadside trees, and cleaned natural immersion sites by removing silt and garbage from water bodies used for idols taller than six feet. Deputy Mayor Ghadi ordered coordination between public Ganesh mandals and civic administration, and training on converting ‘nirmalya’ collected at immersion sites into manure.
