PMC workers collect garbage at Mandai as they clean the area ahead of the Ganesh festival. (Express photo by Oshwin Kadhao)Nearly 4,300 police personnel, along with 600 home guards and two companies of State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), will be deployed in the city for bandobast duty during the forthcoming Ganesh Festival.
Amitabh Gupta, commissioner of police, said during a press conference on Monday that necessary steps have been taken to prevent any law and order situation during the festival starting from August 31.
As per the press release issued by the police, 4,147 police personnel from the city police comprising four additional commissioners, ten deputy commissioners, 26 assistant commissioners, 85 inspectors, 438 assistant and sub inspectors, 3,584 constabulary have been assigned duty during Ganesh festival at different locations. Also, nearly 300 cops from other police establishments have also been called for duty in the city. Besides, bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS), quick response teams (QRTs) and traffic police personnel will be on duty.
As many as 3,566 Ganesh Mandals and over 45 lakh Ganesh idols have been set up at houses in the jurisdiction of city police. Police are expecting a bigger celebration this year, as in the past two years there were restrictions due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
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Additional commissioner of police, Rajendra Dahale said, “We have held nearly 61 meetings with several Ganesh Mandals regarding the heights of their decorations and pandals. We have appealed to the activists to follow the norms properly.”
Meanwhile, police have taken preventive action against as many as 1,709 persons from different parts of the city ahead of the festival.
Police have appealed to the Ganesh Mandals and residents to follow the rules laid down by the administration for preventing noise pollution during the festival.
Restriction on Ganesh Mandal chariots’ heights due to Metro bridge
The police have imposed restrictions on height of chariots to be taken out by Ganesh Mandals for immersion processions on routes that have Metro bridges.
A press release issued by senior police inspector Murlidhar Karpe of the Deccan police station said the height of the Metro bridge near Lakdi Pul at Deccan Corner is 21 feet. So, Ganesh Mandals taking this route should ensure that their chariots should not exceed the height of 18 feet, said Karpe.
The height of the Metro station at Garware College on Karve Road is 18 feet, while the height of the Metro overbridge at Nal Stop junction is 17 feet. Ganesh Mandals following these two immersion procession routes should keep the height of their chariots to less than 16 feet. The length of both service roads around Karve Road Metro bridge is 15 feet and mandals passing through these routes should ensure that the length of their chariots is less than 12 feet.