Civic body prepares to welcome Ganpati Bappa

Mumbai: With the Ganesh festival just round the corner, BMC is gearing up to welcome the elephant god. The preparations include filling up patches on routes leading to immersion sites; setting aside 20 per cent of the imported pothole mix; and deploying 20 fire brigade staffers at the city’s main immersion spots.

With a view to ensuring peace during the 10-day festival, several civic departments including roads, health and fire have come together. Anand Wagralkar, deputy municipal commissioner and official-in-charge, Ganpati festival, said, “We have charted out routes that lead to major immersion sites and civic workers are already filling patches on these routes. The imported pothole mix has also been set aside which will be used during the festival.”

Devidas Kshirsagar, assistant municipal commissioner, D ward, said, “We have increased the number and size of pontoons (floating bridges that load big idols) this time.”

The BMC fire department informed that a team of 20 people will be present at main immersion spots. P.S. Rahangdale said, “At the main immersion spots, along with our team, there will be two boats and one jet ski on duty. At the rest of the sites, a team of four lifeguards will be present.”

Meanwhile, the health department has already set up boards at such areas of the beach where there is a possibility of people being stung by jellyfish. Padmaja Keskar, executive health officer, said, “We have placed informative boards at prime spots so that people will now be careful during visarjan.”