The Maharashtra government recently approved the status of a state festival to Ganeshotsav. However, with the nearing of festivity, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that it will impose a fine of INR 15,000 on public Ganesh Mandals if they dig holes for their pavilions. This stance of the municipality is oppressive for the Ganesh Mandals and public Ganeshotsav organisations in Mumbai have demanded that the fine be scrapped.
The Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvaya Samiti, which represents Ganpati mandals across Mumbai, on Sunday, July 27, requested the civic body to remove the recent increase in fines for potholes near Ganpati pandals — from INR 2,000 to INR 15,000 per pothole.
In the backdrop of Ganeshotsav, a meeting of the committee was held in Dadar on Saturday, July 26. In this meeting, it was decided that the Public Ganeshotsav Committee will follow up with the municipality and the state government to scrap the fine for the potholes.
For the past several years, a fine of INR 2,000 was being levied for each hole. Last week, the municipality issued a circular increasing the fine to INR 15,000. The organisations expressed their opinion that this fee was high and unreasonable.
After the High Court allowed POP idols, the municipality took a stand that it should no longer take a guarantee for POP idols. The mandals also demanded that the government provide insurance cover to the devotees along with the mandals and provide electricity at a concessional rate.
Ganeshotsav mandals take the responsibility of filling the potholes after the festival, but still the municipality is in a hurry to take action against them. Will the municipality take strict action against the contractor concerned regarding the potholes on the roads of Mumbai? This question has been raised by Adv. and Chairman of the Coordination Committee Naresh Dahibawkar.
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