As Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner, Ganesh Puja organisers in Mumbai will have to be careful this time while erecting a mandap otherwise they will be slapped with Rs 2000 fine each pothole.
As Mumbai continues to battle pothole menace every year, the city’s civic body has come up this plan to ensure roads are not dug up for mandaps. A team of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), under which most roads of the city fall, will keep an eye on if organisers are found flouting rules, Times of India reported.
The BMC received over 25,000 complaints of patholes from people in the past five months. Deputy commissioner (infrastructure) Ulhas Mahale said a penalty will be imposed if BMC gets complaints about any mandal having caused potholes on the road.
Earlier on Saturday, the Bombay High Court said it will assign a bench for hearing a case raising grievances about potholes on roads in Maharashtra.
According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) data, the total number of road accident deaths in the country due to potholes in 2018, 2019 and 2020 stood at 2,015, 2,140 and 1,471, respectively.
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Meanwhile, preparations are on in full swing in Mumbai to celebrate the Ganapati festival with all its pomp and grandeur after two years of celebrations being marred by restrictions necessitated by the Covid pandemic. The government of Maharashtra, a state which is known for its grand Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, had decided not to impose any restrictions on the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations starting August 31.
The Ganesh Chaturthi or Ganpati festival begins on Ganesha Chaturthi or the fourth day and ends on Anant Chaturdashi or the 14th day of the fortnight as per the lunar calendar.
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This year, the 11-day festivities will begin on August 31 and end on September 9. While public pandals mostly observe the festival for all 11 days, many people bring in Ganpati at their homes for one and a half days, three days, five days and seven days.
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