After discontinuing the use of mobile immersion tanks, the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) solid waste management department will install at least 550 static iron tanks for Ganesh idol immersion at around 300 locations across the city.
The city has 22 main ghats where devotees gather for immersion, so the civic body is constructing these tanks at those ghats to prevent river pollution caused by plaster of Paris idols.
The civic body introduced mobile immersion tanks during the COVID-induced lockdown. Even after restrictions were lifted, there were demands to discontinue this facility, but PMC continued it. However, as the number of Punekars using the facility declined, with people preferring to go to the ghats, PMC finally decided to discontinue it.
Meanwhile, ahead of the festivals of Ganeshotsav and Navaratri, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has listed out rules and regulations for the mandals to follow.
In a notification issued on Saturday, PMC Commissioner Rajendra Bhosale stated that new mandals who want to get permits to put up pandals and celebrate Ganeshotsav and Navratri will have to get the same from the nearest police station. In collaboration with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pune City Police have launched a scheme called 'Ek Khidki Yojana' for this purpose, he added.
