MUMBAI: There’s a 13% jump in the number of Ganpati mandals receiving permission to erect pandals on city roads this year, according to data received from BMC on Monday. In fact, this Ganeshotsav will see the highest number of pandals with BMC granting approvals to 2,729 mandals so far. Last year, 2,417 mandals had got approvals.
This year, BMC received 3,767 applications, of which 1,038 were rejected for reasons like two mandals seeking approval for erecting pandals at the same spot, duplication in application, or traffic police pointing out that pandals could block vehicle movement in the area.
One of the reasons for the rise in pandal permissions is the online one-window facility system. Deputy municipal commissioner Ramakant Biradhar, in-charge of the festival arrangements, said under this system, approvals from the authorities concerned, including police, traffic police and fire brigade, are given under one roof. “Once BMC processes the application, it is sent to police and traffic police for nods. We are trying to make the celebrations hassle-free for mandals,” said Biradhar, adding that there is an emphasis on eco-friendly celebrations.
Girish Walwalkar, secretary of Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, pointed out that the Ganpati fervour is back to pre-Covid times. Samiti president Naresh Dahibavkar said the number of permissions could rise as a few approvals are still in process and do not reflect in the data shared by BMC a day before the festival begins.
This year, BMC received 3,767 applications, of which 1,038 were rejected for reasons like two mandals seeking approval for erecting pandals at the same spot, duplication in application, or traffic police pointing out that pandals could block vehicle movement in the area.
One of the reasons for the rise in pandal permissions is the online one-window facility system. Deputy municipal commissioner Ramakant Biradhar, in-charge of the festival arrangements, said under this system, approvals from the authorities concerned, including police, traffic police and fire brigade, are given under one roof. “Once BMC processes the application, it is sent to police and traffic police for nods. We are trying to make the celebrations hassle-free for mandals,” said Biradhar, adding that there is an emphasis on eco-friendly celebrations.
Girish Walwalkar, secretary of Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, pointed out that the Ganpati fervour is back to pre-Covid times. Samiti president Naresh Dahibavkar said the number of permissions could rise as a few approvals are still in process and do not reflect in the data shared by BMC a day before the festival begins.
