A total of 12,661 idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Hartalika (Parvati) were immersed in different water bodies in Mumbai till 9 pm on Friday, the fifth day of the 12-day Ganesh festival, civic officials said.
The immersions included 12,463 household Lord Ganesh idols and 23 of Goddess Hartalika. Apart from this, 175 idols of public Ganesh mandals (community group) werealso immersed during the period, they said.
No untoward incident was reported during the immersion process, the officials said.
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During the one-and-a-half-day immersion on September 15-16, a total of 61,640 Ganesh and Hartalika idols were immersed in water bodies across the metropolis. The figure included 301 idols of Ganesh mandals, 61,247 household ones and 92 of Hartalika.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made arrangements for immersion at sites, including artificial ponds, across the city for devotees.
According to different traditions, Lord Ganesh idols are immersed on the first-and-a-half day, third day, fifth day, sixth day, seventh day and on Anant Chaturdashi (concluding day of the festival).
The festival began on September 14 and will culminate on Anant Chaturdashi on September 25, when a large number of idols will be immersed after colourful processions.
BMC has set up 383 artificial ponds at 278 locations in the city for eco-friendly immersion of idols during the ongoing Ganesh festival, it said on Friday.
The civic body has also deployed 25,000 personnel for looking after immersion arrangements in the city.
In a release issued on Friday, the BMC said that it has made necessary arrangements at 67 natural immersion sites, including 44 beaches and jetties and 23 natural lakes, for idols more than six feet in height.
As many as 1,194 steel plates have been laid on sand on seashores. Twenty-three German rafts, 34 cranes, 85 ambulances and 10 motorboats have been kept ready at ‘chowpatties’ or beaches.
The civic body has deployed 1,132 lifeguards, besides setting up 498 ‘nirmalya’ kalash and 326 ‘nirmalya’ dumpers for the collection of puja material waste. There are 228 control rooms and 75 observation towers to keep a watch on crowds.
As per the release, the BMC has also launched the ‘One Ganapati, One Tree’ initiative, under which it plans to plant as many trees as the number of Ganesh idols immersed in Mumbai.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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