There is a sharp rise in the number of Ganpati mandals seeking permission to set up mandap to hold a 10-day Ganpati festival in the city from the previous year. However, when compared to 2019, when there were no Covid restrictions, there is a drop in Ganpati mandals approaching the civic body for permits to hold the festival.
As per the number provided by NMMC, the civic body granted permission to a total of 164 Ganpati Mandals in the city to erect mandap which is higher than in 2021, when only 112 Ganpati mandals were given permission. In 2021, the festival was celebrated with Covid restrictions.
However, in 2019, when there were no such restrictions, the civic body granted permits to a total of 192 Ganpati mandals. It means there was around a 14.5 percent drop in 2022 from 2019.
The rising cost and number of permissions are said to be the main reasons for the lesser number of Ganpati mandals approaching NMMC. Vijay Walunj, a former corporator who also holds Sarvajanik Ganeshutrsav Mandal at sector 16 A in Vashi said that the rising cost of materials and poor market conditions have forced many mandals to celebrate the festival with low-key affairs. “The cost of holding a 10-day festival has tripled from pre-covid periods. Small mandals are facing a huge funds crunch and this might have forced them to hold the puja with minimum decoration and small mandap,” said Walunj. He added that seeking multiple permissions from different agencies is another area that needs to be looked after.
Last year, the festival was celebrated with a number of restrictions including the height of the idol and mandap. However, this year, the civic body has given relaxation.
Following the instructions given by chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the civic administration is not taking any charge for giving permissions to Ganpati mandals in the city. For setting up a mandap, the civic body started taking applications on July 14 online.
This year, the civic body received a total of 164 applications seeking permissions for setting up mandap with a maximum of 30 applications from Koparkhairane ward, followed by 24 applications from Belapur ward.
Meanwhile, the civic body had decided to create 134 artificial ponds for immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) and households Ganpati. The maximum number of artificial ponds will be created in the Belapur ward with 25, followed by 20 in Turbhe and 18 in Airoli. In addition, there are 22 natural ponds where immersion will be allowed. In 2021, out of a total of 27,808 Ganesha idols immersed, 14090 idols were immersed in the artificial ponds.
Total number of permissions for Ganpati mandap
2022- 164
2021
2020- 84
2019-192
Total ponds for idol immersions
Artificial ponds: 136
Natural pond: 22
In 2021 idols immersions:
Artificial ponds: 14,090
Natural: 13718
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