One of the much awaited and widely celebrated festivals of Ganesh Chaturthi is just around the corner. However, the much hyped single window system announced by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) for the organizing committees to obtain various permissions under one roof is yet to be activated at some of the ward offices, exposing the apathy of the civic administration.

Mandated to procure around 6 to 7 clearances including- electricity, fire, sound system, police and traffic, the mandals (organizing committees) had to travel the length and breadth of the twin-city and queue up at offices of various agencies seeking No Objection Certificates (NOC)’s. In an attempt to cut short the logistical nightmare, the civic administration had announced that dedicated cells will be set up at each of the six ward offices to accept applications and dispense all clearances under one roof within a stipulated time frame.

However at some ward offices the single window mechanism is yet to take shape. This came to light when members of Bal Ganesh Mitra Mandal in Penkarpada approached the local ward office but were turned away by on-duty civic personnel with a reply that they were yet to receive an official order for accepting applications.

When contacted, municipal commissioner- Dilip Dhole said, “By now all ward offices should have started dispensing the permissions under the single window system. I have already issued fresh directions to the concerned ward officials to immediately start the services and fast track the process, so that none of the mandal's are inconvenienced.” There are around 750 Sarvajanik Utsav Mandals in the twin-city, however the celebrations have been toned down as the government authorities have issued similar guidelines which were issued last year in view of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

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