Ganpati Visarjan 2020: No public immersion of idols in Mumbai’s containment zones, says BMC

Mumbai, July 31: With Ganesh Chaturthi just around the corner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said Ganesh mandals' located in COVID-19 containment zones in the city will have to conduct idol immersions inside their own pandals.

As per the guidelines issued by the civic body for the Ganesh festival which begins from August 22, all households in containment zones must immerse their idols in metallic tanks or an alternative facility within the containment zones itself.

Issuing the order, BMC said,"People/Ganeshotsav Mandals in containment zones will have to immerse idols in a metallic tank or something else inside containment zone itself. Also, people living in buildings which are sealed must immerse idols at their homes.''

The civic body also appealed to Ganesh mandals to conduct health camps instead of cultural programmes and create awareness about health issues through advertisements.

Earlier, the Union government had put restrictions on any congregation - religious, political, cultural till August 31 under Unlock phase three.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Maharashtra government's appeal for a low-key celebration this year, the livelihood of several people associated with the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities has been adversely affected. The festival generates a turnover of more than Rs 70 crore every year in Mumbai.

The number of containment zones in Mumbai currently stands at 622 and the total number of positive coronavirus cases in these zones is 30,781. As many as 5,960 buildings remain sealed in the city.