The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has once again barred Ganeshotsav mandals from digging roads or footpaths to erect temporary pandals and has retained a ₹2,000 fine for every pothole created for such installations. The civic body has also introduced an online single-window system to streamline the process of obtaining permissions for public Ganeshotsav pandals.
The online permission system has been activated on the BMC website, allowing public Ganeshotsav mandals to apply for temporary pandal permissions through a computerised process. The system also facilitates the permissions and clearances required from the civic administration, local police and traffic police.
10,000–11,000 public mandals in mumbai
Mumbai has around 10,000 to 11,000 public Ganeshotsav mandals, of which approximately 2,000 to 3,000 set up pandals on roads or footpaths. Such mandals are required to obtain permissions from the BMC, police and traffic police before erecting their temporary structures.
The single-window system is intended to make this process more convenient by bringing the required permissions under one online mechanism rather than requiring organisers to coordinate separately with different authorities.
INR 12,000 crore spent on road concretisation
The BMC's decision to prohibit excavation for pandal construction comes against the backdrop of its large-scale road concretisation programme. The civic body has undertaken a ₹12,000-crore project over three years aimed at creating pothole-free roads.
Of the approximately 2,050 km of roads under the BMC's jurisdiction, around 1,900 km have been concretised, according to the report. The administration has therefore prohibited digging these roads for any reason, including the installation of Ganeshotsav pandals.
The civic body has pointed out that mandals have traditionally used pits in roads to secure temporary pandal structures. Such excavation can damage newly concretised roads and undermine efforts to maintain durable, pothole-free surfaces.
Fine remains at ₹2,000 per pothole
The BMC has retained the ₹2,000-per-pothole penalty this year. The amount was increased substantially last year, but the move faced strong opposition, following which the penalty was kept at ₹2,000. There has been no increase in the fine for 2026.
The penalty also applies when roads or footpaths are dug for pandals erected by Ganesh idol makers. The BMC has appealed to mandals and idol makers to adopt pothole-free techniques and use methods that do not require excavation.
The civic body has also made available guidance and sketches for erecting festival mandaps without digging holes in roads.
Security deposit reduced to ₹100
The BMC has also continued the reduced ₹100 security deposit for pandal permissions this year.
Earlier, mandals were required to pay security deposits ranging from ₹20,000 to several lakh rupees. The deposit was intended to cover the cost of repairing road damage if organisers failed to fill and restore pits created during pandal construction.
The deposit was reduced to ₹100 last year and the same amount will continue for this year's Ganeshotsav.
2017 High Court order behind penalty
According to the report, the ₹2,000 penalty is based on a 2017 Bombay High Court order concerning the digging of roads for festival pandals. The BMC continues to impose the penalty in accordance with the prescribed provisions.
With Ganeshotsav approaching, the civic body has urged organisers to follow the permission process and ensure that roads, footpaths and other public infrastructure are not damaged while setting up temporary pandals. Ganeshotsav will be celebrated in Mumbai on September 14, 2026, and the BMC's online single-window system is expected to facilitate permissions for mandals ahead of the festival.
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