One of the most prominent Ganpati Mandals across Mumbai is Lalbaugcha Raja and every year, millions of devotees from all around the country visit the famous Mandal. For 11 days, the Lord Ganesh idol is left open for the devotees and due to which, the Mandal is always crowded. Accordingly, in order to avoid any accidents throughout Ganesh Chaturthi, Mumbai Fire Brigade offers its services to Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal.
In return, the fire department charges usually, ₹3-4 lakh for its services for 11 days. However, for Ganesh Utsav 2019, Mumbai Fire Brigade has demanded a whopping ₹17 lakh from Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganshotsav Mandal, which is six times the fee that was charged last year.
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While the police officials are appointed at places to ensure that any untowardly incident does not take place, the fire department officials are appointed as a safety measure. Accordingly, the department has decided that will charge ₹17 lakh to the Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal this year.
Previously, Shiv Sena Corporator Sachin Padwal along with former Mumbai Mayor Shraddha Jadhav had protested against the Fire Brigade as they had inflated the fees. After which, the fire department decided to charge only ₹3 lakh for its services.
However, once again this year, the fire department has shot a bill of ₹17 lakh at the Ganpati Mandal. Due to which, the organisers have displayed their dismay. They stated that at various other Ganpati Mandals, the Fire Brigade is complied to provide security, so why is the Lalbaug Mandal charged separately. Therefore, they have decided not to pay the bill this year.