Mumbai, Sep 25 More than 24,000 police personnel will be on Mumbai’s streets on Friday to ensure that Ganesh immersion processions remain peaceful, while the BMC has made elaborate arrangements with 67 natural immersion sites and 383 artificial lakes, officials said.
Hundreds of idols of Lord Ganesh will be immersed on Anant Chaturdashi on Friday after processions, marking the culmination of the festival which started on September 14.
The Mumbai Traffic Police have issued comprehensive traffic advisories and imposed key restrictions across major corridors, including the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR), Lalbaug, and Kalachowki, to ensure smooth movement of vehicles and for public safety, officials said.
A massive security blanket involving over 24,000 personnel, including 6 Joint Commissioners of Police, 9 Additional Commissioners of Police, 38 Deputy Commissioners of Police, and 66 Assistant Commissioners of Police, will be deployed across the megalopolis, the police said.
Specialised units, including the Rapid Action Force, State Reserve Police Force, Force One, Quick Response Teams, Law & Order platoons, Riot Control Squads, Delta and Combat units, and Anti-Drone squads will also be positioned at key and sensitive locations, they said.
The Mumbai Police have appealed to citizens to exercise restraint in crowded places and cooperate with on-duty personnel. Devotees have been urged to alert the police if they spot any unclaimed or suspicious objects and to call emergency helplines 100 or 112 for immediate assistance, the officials added.
The Sakinaka Traffic Division has implemented strict no-parking zones for all vehicle types on both the northbound and southbound lanes of JVLR, spanning the stretch between the L&T Flyover and the IIT Market Gate.
Additionally, the Ghatkopar Traffic Division has restricted the entry of heavy vehicles along both carriageways of the JVLR, said officials on Thursday.
Heavy vehicles approaching the JVLR from the Eastern Express Highway must remain on this highway, while such vehicles heading from the Western Express Highway towards the JVLR will be diverted to continue along the highway.
In central Mumbai, where massive crowds gather in the Lalbaug and Kalachowki areas, round-the-clock parking bans have been enforced on major arterial roads, including Dr B A Road (south-bound) from Comrade Krishna Desai Chowk (Bharat Mata Junction) to Hansraj Rathod Chowk (Bawla Compound Junction), and Dr B A Road (north-bound) – from Hansraj Rathod Chowk (Bawla Compound Junction) to Comrade Krishna Desai Chowk (Bharat Mata Junction).
In a release issued on Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said more than 25,000 civic officials and employees will be deployed to ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the immersion process.
The BMC has deployed 1,132 lifeguards and made arrangements for 6,052 floodlights and searchlights at immersion sites, while 85 ambulances and 10 motorboats have been kept ready at various immersion sites, it said.
For crowd management and coordination, 261 reception centres, 228 control rooms and 75 observation towers have been set up. A total of 489 temporary toilets and other basic facilities have been provided for devotees, the release said.
The BMC has urged citizens to exercise caution while entering the sea for immersion and follow instructions of civic and police authorities, particularly in view of the presence of blue-button jellyfish and stingrays along the coastline.
So far this year, 1,63,386 Ganapati idols have been immersed during the 1.5-day, five-day, six-day and seven-day periods of the 12-day long festival, according to the BMC.
Citing Bombay High Court directions, the BMC said Ganpati idols up to six feet in height are required to be immersed in artificial lakes.
The BMC said it has made arrangements for such immersions and appealed to citizens to use the designated artificial lakes.
Officials said BMC has made free facilities at 387 artificial lakes and 67 natural sites in the metropolis, and requested citizens not to pay money to anyone for the immersion of idols at these places.
(PTI News)
