Given the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar had appealed to the citizens to celebrate the festival in a restricted and symbolic manner.
The number of immersions of Ganesh idols across Mumbai have gone up by 16 per cent when compared to last year, figures put out by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed.
A total of 1.57 lakh immersion were recorded over the 10-days-long festival. Last year, 1.35 lakh immersions were reported at the natural water bodies and artificial lakes.
Given the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar had appealed to the citizens to celebrate the festival in a restricted and symbolic manner. The civic body had urged citizens to avoid visiting the seashore for idol immersion owing to the pandemic. Civic officials had said that they want residents to use their nearest artificial ponds for visarjan.
79,216 idols were immersed in artificial lakes, a slight increase from 70,233 last year. Of the 1.96 lakh idol immersions in 2019, 33,925 idols were immersed in artificial lakes.
This year, visiting the pandals was also banned owing to Covid-related restrictions. Mumbai Police had also issued an order stating that assembly of more than five people will not be allowed in any public place, including the pandals during the festival days (September 10 to 19) and an FIR will be registered under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code against those violating the order.
However, despite the order, many had gathered at the Girgaon Chowpatty on Sunday afternoon for the Lalabaug cha Raja immersion. The visarjan procession began at 10.30 am on Sunday and was completed by 1 pm, unlike the 14-hour yatra in the previous years.
“We followed the same route but finished sooner since large processions are banned. A live stream of the procession was also arranged so that people could watch it from their homes,” the president of the mandal said.
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