With only two days to go for the Maghi Ganesh Utsav festivities to begin, devotees across the city were seen getting Ganpati idols to their homes and pandals, on Thursday (PICS/Satej Shinde, Ashish Raje, Vinod Kumar Menon)
Updated On: 2025-01-30 09:22 PM IST
Compiled by : Divya Nair
An artist gives final touches to a Ganpati idol in Chinchpokli
The Maghi Ganesh Utsav will be celebrated on Saturday, February 1
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a circular granting permission for setting up pandals for Maghi Ganesh Utsav. According to the circular, mandals must submit an undertaking that they will only use eco-friendly idols
As per BMC’s directive, sarvajanik mandals are required to submit an affidavit confirming that they will not install idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP)
Similarly, it is mandatory for households to celebrate with eco-friendly idols
A devotee clicks a picture of an idol at a workshop in Chinchpokli
The BMC has advised citizens to immerse Ganpati idols either in their homes or in artificial ponds arranged by the BMC in their colonies
A Lord Ganesha idol passes through Jacob Circle in South Mumbai
Members of Kandivalicha Iachapurti Ganesh Sarvajanik Maghi Ganeshotsav ferry the Ganpati idol to their pandal ahead of the Maghi Ganesh Jayanti Utsav, at Thakur Village in Kandivali (East)
In May 2020, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued guidelines banning POP idols, which are known to cause significant pollution in water bodies. In August 2024, the Bombay High Court ruled that only non-POP Ganesh idols should be used
The Environment (Protection) Act of 1986 and other relevant laws will apply if the rules are violated
