Pune Ganesh Visarjan: Police Relax Curbs On Mandals, Two-Year Participants Get Special Permission

Pune: Pune Police have relaxed their earlier restrictions on Ganesh mandals that were denied permission to join the main immersion procession, allowing groups with a history of participating in the procession for at least two years to take part this year as a special case. The decision was taken after representatives of the affected mandals met Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Monday and requested a review of the decision.

Police had earlier issued notices to around 150 Ganesh mandals, informing them that they would not be allowed to join the main immersion procession. The decision had led to dissatisfaction among mandal office bearers and volunteers. However, the relaxation does not mean that all 150 mandals will get unrestricted access to the main procession routes.

Mandals with two-year participation get relief

Commissioner Kumar said mandals that have participated in the main immersion procession for the past two to three years will be allowed to participate this year as a special exception. These mandals had been given temporary permission after the Covid-19 pandemic to join the procession through Kelkar Road and Kumthekar Road.

Considering their continued participation in the procession over the past two or more years, police have decided to allow them to take part again this year. The decision is aimed at addressing the concerns of mandals that had been regularly participating in the main procession but were denied permission this year.

Newer mandals to use alternative route

Mandal groups that joined the main immersion procession for the first time last year, or are participating for the first time this year, will not be given unrestricted access to the main route. However, public Ganesh mandals from the central Peth areas will be given an opportunity to join the procession through Kelkar Road.

Police have also invited applications from other mandals. Their requests will be examined before permission is granted to participate through Kelkar Road or Kumthekar Road. Mandals celebrating a landmark jubilee or special anniversary this year will also be allowed to participate in the main immersion procession, Kumar said.

The police had taken the earlier decision amid concerns over the growing size and duration of Pune's main Ganesh immersion procession. Office bearers of the affected mandals had demanded that all mandals be allowed to participate in the main procession, as was the case last year.

They told the Police Commissioner that several of the affected mandals had been participating in the procession regularly for the past few years. The representatives therefore sought a review of the decision and requested that their previous participation be considered while granting permissions. The meeting was attended by Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Darade, Additional Commissioners of Police Manoj Patil and Sanjay Bansode, along with representatives of several Ganesh mandals.

2025 procession lasted over 32 hours

The restrictions come against the backdrop of the increasing size and duration of Pune's main immersion procession. The 2025 main procession reportedly continued for 32 hours and 26 minutes. The overall immersion process lasted nearly 34 hours.

Police have cited the growing number of participating mandals, crowd movement, dhol-tasha groups and halts as factors contributing to delays. The number of mandals participating through the four traditional main routes has also varied over the years. Police and civic authorities have been trying to manage the procession while reducing congestion and maintaining security arrangements. Pune currently has around 4,170 registered public Ganesh mandals, further adding to the challenge of managing the festival and immersion processions.

The relaxation granted this year will not become a permanent arrangement. Kumar clarified that the permission given to mandals with a history of participation is a special exception for this year's immersion procession.

A separate policy will be formulated from next year to decide which Ganesh mandals can participate in the main immersion procession. The policy is expected to lay down criteria for participation and provide a more defined system for granting permissions. This means the issue of which mandals can join the main procession is likely to be governed by a formal policy from next year instead of case-by-case decisions.

For this year's procession, however, mandals with a qualifying participation history and other eligible groups will get an opportunity to participate through the routes approved by the police.