The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has relaxed its earlier order for the celebration of the Ganpati festival in the city. The civic body has lifted the height and mandatory sadhu clay idols at Ganpati mandals.
Now, mandals can install idols as per their need and use Plaster of Paris (PoP) made idols.
However, people installing Ganpati idols have to ensure that the height should not be more than 2 feet, so as to facilitate immersion of such idols in an artificial pond.
In addition, the height of Ganesha idols of public mandals should also be as low as possible. Similarly, the immersion of homemade Ganesha idols made of 'POP' in natural lakes and reservoirs is prohibited.
The civic body has appealed to citizens to Immerse Ganesha idols in artificial ponds and cooperate for environmental protection.
Earlier, a delegation of Ganpati Mandals met the municipal commissioner of NMMC and requested to review the earlier decision to ban idols made of ‘plaster of Paris’ (PoP) and height restrictions. They demanded that the civic body should allow what the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) allowed in Mumbai.
Early this month, the BMC retracted its notice banning PoP idols ahead of the Ganesh festival, 10 days after issuing it. However, the civic body has made it mandatory for citizens and organisers to immerse PoP idols only in artificial lakes.
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