Repair potholes for Bappa at least: Ganpati mandals to BMC
MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS), the umbrella organisation of Ganesh mandals, have asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to fill potholes on the road before Ganesh Chaturthi.
In a meeting last week with additional municipal commissioner Vijay Singhal, the organisation expressed its concerns over potholes that could hinder the transport of idols during the festival.
The Samiti has asked all 10,800 mandals in the city to inspect potholes in their areas and submit a report to them or to the nearest municipal ward office by July 25.
Following this, members of BSGSS plan to individually approach each ward office and ask them to take cognisance of the problem.
“We have been promised that potholes that lead to the pandals will be filled. Our concern is that most of the bigger Ganpati idols are taken from the town to the
suburbs. Though one doesn’t see too many potholes in the southern part of the city, the suburbs are severely affected. We do not want any idol to be damaged,” said Naresh Dahibavkar, president, BSGSS.
Dahibavkar said the mandals have been asked to send the report in a specific format, which would include the name of the mandal, the route and name of the road, name of the ward it belongs to, the name of the applicant, and the position he or she holds in the mandal.
“This year, the mandals would start getting the idols from August 15. Last year, we came across lesser potholes in the city but in 2016, we had faced a similar problem. Our main concern is roads such as Andheri-kurla road, which is riddled with potholes. Any damage to the idol there would be considered a bad omen by the devotees,” said Dahibavkar.
Hindustan Times tried to contact Singhal, but did not receive a response till the time of going to print.