This despite officials receiving 256 more applications compared to 2023, officials say this is due to entire process being online
A temporary water body being set up by civic workers at Lal Maidan in Parel on Friday. Pics/Kirti Surve Parade
Despite receiving more applications than last year, the authorities have given fewer sarvajanik mandals permission to erect pandals. While mandals have sent out 3,358 applications, 256 more than last year’s figure, only 2,635 got the go-ahead by 6 pm on Friday.
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The remaining applications are still under review by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, police and traffic authorities. Last year, 2,729 pandals were approved by the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi.
A civic official said, “Permission is required to set up pandals in public places and on private premises. Every year permissions for private premises were given offline. This year, the entire process is online, so it seems the number of applications has increased.”
Workers install an artificial pond for the immersion of idols at Bhoiwada market in Parel
He added, “Every sarvajanik mandal has a large and small idol, which increases the number of idols at immersion spots.”
Of the 723 pending applications, 471, 140 and 112 are with the BMC, cops and traffic police respectively.
Last year, on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, 336 applications were denied at the BMC level while 37 failed to receive the police and traffic police's approval.
The number of sarvajanik pandals was at an all-time low in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Though the number of applications is almost the same as that of the pre-COVID era, this year, the number of applications is at an all-time high.
Ganeshotsav 2024: New technique adopted to set up artificial lakes
The BMC has come up with a new type of artificial lake. Earlier, the water bodies were created by digging mud and placing tarpaulin in the depression. “The process of digging, carrying mud to another location and then placing it back after 11 days was expensive. This year, artificial lakes are being created with aluminium sheets and then made waterproof with plastic paper. There is no need for digging and the cost is one-third of the previous figure,” said an official. The civic body will create 204 lakes, most of which will be made using the new technique.
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