File image of devotees during immersion of Lalbaugcha Raja idol of Lord Ganesh at Girgaon Chowpatty, in Mumbai. PTI
India, especially, Mumbai, bid adieu to its favourite deity — Ganpati — three weeks ago with much vim and vigour. However, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai’s civic body, isn’t done yet.
The local body has imposed a fine of Rs 3.66 lakh on the organisers of the renowned Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh mandal, located in south Mumbai’s Parel area.
Fined for potholes
The BMC imposed the exorbitant fine of Rs 3.66 lakh on the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav Mandal for creating potholes 183 in the roads of Mumbai during the festivities.
The civic body said the organisers of the famous pandal were fined for creating around 183 potholes in the roads of Mumbai during Ganeshotsav this year. The BMC imposes a fine of Rs 2,000 for each pothole made.
In a letter issued to the Lalbaughcha Raja Ganesh festival committee, the BMC’s E ward office stated that the stretch of the road between Dr Babasaheb Road and TB Kadam Marg had been damaged.
“We have imposed a fine of Rs 3,66,000 on Lalbaughcha Raja since we found around 183 potholes in the road. Most of the potholes were created since the organisers had set up railings and barricades for crowd management,” Ajay Yadav, assistant municipal commissioner of BMC’s E ward, was quoted as telling Indian Express on Tuesday.
Officials from the civic body added that they were still in the process of collating data for the fines from other Ganesh mandals. As of date, data from 12 municipal wards had been sorted, out of which Lalbaugcha Raja has been penalised.
Also read: Bappa is here! The most celebrated Ganesh pandals
Lalbaugcha Raja mandal, located in south Mumbai, is one of Mumbai’s most iconic and oldest Ganpati idols. The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh idol of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal was founded in 1934 at the Lalbaug market. The mandal was founded by a group of local fishermen and traders.
Over the years, the popularity of this mandal has grown so significantly that devotees have waited in line for a darshan for more than 14 hours! As per reports, the mandal gets around 1.25 crore devotees each year.
This year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also visited the Lalbaughcha Raja mandal on 5 September and offered his prayers days before the visarjan (immersion of Ganesh idols into the sea). He was accompanied by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his two-day visit to the city.
Not a first-time offender
The Lalbaugcha Raja mandal has been fined in the past too, for damaging roads by affixing bamboo sticks and set up barricades in the vicinity of the pandals.
Graphic: Pranay Bhardwaj
Other mandals such as the Ganesh Galli, located in Lalbaug again, has also been fined for damaging roads in the past. In 2017, the organisers of the Ganesh Galli mandal were fined Rs 4.14 lakh for digging roads to affix bamboo sticks.
Pothole-riddled roads
Pothole-riddled roads are not an uncommon sight in Mumbai. They are a chronic problem on the city roads and add to the woes of motorists and two-wheeler riders, who are forced to navigate through pockmarked stretches.
In the monsoon, the situation becomes even worse, with many taking to social media repeatedly to highlight the poor condition of the roads.
Potholes are also one of the many reasons why Mumbai witnesses numerous road accidents. According to the data of Mumbai Traffic Police, 2,872 road accidents took place in 2019, 1,812 in 2020 and 2,230 in the year 2021.
Commenting on the situation, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in July had said that the city would see pothole-free roads in two years’ time.
Speaking to mediapersons, Shinde said, “We have drawn a programme to make Mumbai pothole-free in the next two years. In the next two years, all Mumbai roads will be concretised. Soak pits will be constructed along the median and side of the roads so that rain water can flow off the road.”
We can’t wait to see Mumbai being free of craters on the roads!
With inputs from agencies
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