Mumbai Police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar reviews security and preparations for Ganpati immersion, at Girgaum Chowpatty on Monday. Ganesh Shirsekar
As the city bids adieu to Ganpati Bappa on Tuesday, 53 roads across Mumbai will be completely closed for vehicles, 54 will be made one-way and there will be 99 no-parking zones. In order to maintain traffic, there will be 3,600 personnel on the streets to be assisted by nearly 500 wardens. “We request people who go to immersion points in tempos and trucks to ask their drivers to remain in the vehicle when they go for immersion. If the driver is present, we can ask him to move the vehicle in case of a traffic problem,” said DCP Rashmi Karandikar, Mumbai Police spokesperson.
Over 40,000 policemen will patrol the streets on Tuesday to ensure smooth immersion at the 119 notified spots across the city on Anant Chaturdashi. The police will be assisted by other paramilitary forces and a network of 5,000 cameras across. Drones will also be used along immersion routes.
Karandikar said, “Nearly 40,000 policemen will be present across the city on Tuesday. Leaves of all policemen have been cancelled for Tuesday.” She added, “We will also have policemen in plain clothes at crowded immersion points to keep an eye on crimes against women and children. In addition, we have released two telephone numbers, 7738133133 and 7738144144, on which women can SMS us in case there is any problem.”
An officer said that in order to assist the Mumbai Police, 12 companies of State Reserve Police Force, one company of Rapid Action Force and officials from the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) will be pressed into service. These forces will be assisted by NCC cadets and scouts and guides. “For coastal security we have the Coast Guard and Navy on standby. There is, however, no terror alert,” Karandikar said.
Meanwhile, major mandals aim to start the procession by 8 am after offering prayers to the deity. “Each mandal tends to follow a specific time of beginning the immersion process in the city. However, we all end up leaving around the same time and bump into each other at major roads in Lalbaug and Dadar. We allow each other to proceed so that traffic continues,” Pranil Panchal from Chintamani Ganapati said.
“We will use a trolley for the immersion. We will start around 8 am and end by 11.30 pm,” Swapnil Parab from Mumbaicha Raja Ganapati in Lalbaug said.
“We have appealed to mandals and workers to observe discipline. There must not be any trouble to women. We have also advised mandals to allow traffic on priority for emergency vehicles. However, congested roads where metro construction is on are going to be a problem,” said Naresh Dahibaokar, president of Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav Samanvay Mandal, umbrella body of Ganesh mandals.
Public transport services will also come to the aid of commuters and devotees. The Central Railway has decided to run eight special trains between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to help devotees with Ganpati immersion.
“Considering the heavy rush at Charni Road station on the Western Railway (WR) due to Ganpati immersion on Tuesday, it has been decided that all up-fast trains leaving their originating stations between 5.30 and 8.30 pm on Tuesday towards Churchgate will halt at all stations between Mumbai Central and Churchgate. Normally, during evening peak hours, these services do not halt between Mumbai Central and Churchgate,” a WR official said.
The bus utility Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) will ply fewer buses after 2.30 pm on Tuesday. Anticipating fewer commuters due to a public holiday, only 1,687 buses will ply from a total of 3,407 buses.