Mumbai Rains: Heavy downpour didn't dampen Ganesh festivities

Updated on: 30 August,2017 05:07 PM IST | Mumbai
A correspondent |

The heavy rainfall did not dampen the spirit of Ganesh festivities, as devotees turned up in large numbers for visarjan or immersion of Ganpati idols

As the city witnessed heavy downpour on Tuesday, rain water flooded a Ganpati pandal in Thane. PIC/SAMEER MARKANDE

The heavy rainfall did not dampen the spirit of Ganesh festivities, as devotees turned up in large numbers for visarjan or immersion of Ganpati idols. The artificial pond in Lokhandwala, Andheri, saw the usual turnout from the neighbourhood, while adjoining areas of Versova and Veera Desai also witnessed visarjan in full swing.

As the city witnessed heavy downpour on Tuesday, rain water flooded a Ganpati pandal in Thane. PIC/SAMEER MARKANDE

Cabs charge 3 times more
As if the unending rain wasn't enough to dampen the mood of commuters, many found they could not even book an Ola or Uber cab to get home without paying three times the normal fare. “Normally, Uber charges Rs 300 or so from Bandra to Borivli. But today, it showed an estimated cost of Rs 927. Even if you agree to this fare, the cab was 23 minutes away. In a share taxi too, Uber showed over R800 for the same distance. It was a similar story with Ola too," said Shruti Limaye, one of the stranded commuters .

Nitin Derashree, a banker from Andheri who travels to Colaba everyday, said, “For a journey that costs Rs 500, Uber and Ola showed a rate of Rs 2,100 and Rs 1900."

Many had no choice but to cough up the money; Pavitra Sampath paid Rs 1,200 for a shared Uber ride from Bandra to Panvel. “It took five hours to reach Panvel and I paid three times as much," said Sampath.