An artist gives final touches to a Ganesh idol at a Mumbai workshop, Monday. (Photo: Ganesh Shirsekar)Ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, in a bid to prevent crowding during immersion, the BMC on Monday said that it will set up seven to eight collection points in each ward for idols and immerse them in the sea or natural ponds.
According to an advisory issued by the BMC on Monday, people living near the sea – within a 1 to 2 km radius – can immerse their idols directly in the sea. Others have been asked to make use of the 167 artificial ponds or the collection units to be set up in each of the 24 wards.
The collection points will be set up in open grounds. The civic body has asked residents to perform puja at home and not at the collection sites. It also asked residents to bring the idols home three to four days ahead of the 10-day festival, which begins on August 22 this year. Usually, the idols are bought home the day the festival starts. Officials said that they want residents to use their nearest artificial ponds for visarjan with a few attendees to ensure social distancing.
In the wake of Covid-19 restrictions, BMC is setting up 167 artificial ponds this year, as opposed to 32 last year. Seventy natural ponds have also been designated for idol immersion.
Earlier, the BMC and the state government had issued general guidelines on Ganeshotsav, urging residents and sarvajanik mandals to worship small idols this year. While for household pujas, the idol should not be more than two feet, mandals should not worship idols that exceed four feet in height.
The BMC has also urged residents to not hold processions while bringing the idols home or to the pandals and on the day of immersion. It has laid down a number of conditions for the organisers, including reducing the size of the pandals, a ban on offerings like flowers and garlands, sanitising pandals thrice a day and ensuring only five persons are inside a pandal at a time.
Mumbai has around 14,000 major Ganesh pandals with some worshipping 20 to 25-ft high idols.