This year, the PMC has said it will make available sufficient quantities of sodium bicarbonate so that people can carry out immersion by dissolving the idol at home. (Representational)

The PMC will not be providing the facility of artificial ponds and various services during idol immersion for the Ganpati festival, a decision that has not gone down well with political parties, including the opposition, NCP, Congress, and Shiv Sena. The civic body has made an appeal to Ganesh mandals to install idols in temples instead of erecting pandals for the 10-day festival that begins on August 22.

In a public appeal, Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said, “The civic staff is busy with work related to Covid-19, so the civic body will not provide services for immersion of Ganesh idols across the city this year.”

Every year, the PMC constructs water tanks and deputes civic staff at each immersion point. Lifeguards are also appointed where necessary and the fire department is put on alert so as to avoid any untoward incident. The civic body takes help from NGOs to collect floral waste for garbage processing. The entire conservancy staff is engaged in cleaning up waste generated due to lakhs of people taking to the streets.

This year, the PMC has said it will make available sufficient quantities of sodium bicarbonate so that people can carry out immersion by dissolving the idol at home. Mohol said, “Ganesh mandals should immerse idols in the nearest water body, while people should immerse idols installed at home in residential premises. The PMC will make arrangements to collect floral waste and remains of idols the day after.”

The civic body has asked Ganesh mandals not to hold processions during installation or immersion of idols. The mandals have to ensure that local residents, pedestrians or traffic are not affected by the pandals and there should not be any noise pollution, Mohol said.

The PMC has also recommended to follow the state government’s directions of installing an idol measuring a maximum of four feet in height for Ganesh mandals and two feet in homes. The civic body has stated that it will not allow eateries on roads and footpaths during the festival.

Opposition parties said the mayor took a “historical” decision of not providing the facility of water tanks for idol immersion.

“Lakhs of Ganpati idols are immersed during the festival. As immersion is mostly done in Mutha river or the canal, these spots witness massive crowding. Thus, the water tank facility was started a few years ago to make things more convenient. Immersion at home will not be a practical possibility and many will turn to the river and canal for the purpose,” said Dipali Dhumal of NCP, Ulhas Bagul of Congress and Prithviraj Sutar of Shiv Sena, in a letter to the mayor.

They said the PMC should instead increase the number of tanks so that people don’t gather in large numbers during the immersion, and that this matter should be discussed at a meeting of the coordinating committee of the civic body.