Mumbai civic body to accept prints of applications for Ganeshotsav pandals

The issue was raised by the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshostsav Samanvay Samiti, the umbrella body of Ganesh mandals in the city.

After receiving multiple complaints regarding the online system for application of Ganpati pandals, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday issued a direction to 24 ward officers to now accept hard copy application submissions.

(Representational photo)

Officers have been asked to upload a soft copy on the system before going ahead with the approval process.

The issue was raised by the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshostsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS), the umbrella body of Ganesh mandals in the city, during a meeting on Friday. Not all the organisers are well-versed with the website and find it difficult to upload their applications, said the BSGSS.

Naresh Dahibavkar, president, BSGSS, said, “Even the officers at ward offices are not well-versed with the online system, making the process even more cumbersome. In the meeting, we requested that BMC continue with both the systems this year.”

BMC’s online application system is linked with the traffic and police department. After submission of the application, it is forwarded to ward offices, traffic and police department to be approved within three days. However, now ward officers will have to upload the soft copy of the application on the system.

During the meeting, organisers also expressed concern over safe transport of the idols, as the usual routes for arrival and immersion are either blocked or barricaded due to ongoing metro construction work.

Agreeing to the civic body’s request, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) has agreed to shift their barricades that have been propped up for Metro work while Ganesh mandals bring their idols home. The decision was taken during a recent between BMC, MMRCL and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Vijay Singhal, additional municipal commissioner, said that alternative routes for idol transport will be chalked out for spaces where shifting barricades is not feasible.