TMC, cops work to ensure Thaneites enjoy a safe and pothole-free festival

THANE: The city administration and police have made all adequate arrangements as nearly 65,000 Ganesh idols will be welcomed in various homes and mandals across the city on Thursday morning. From ensuring that the arterial roads are pothole-free and traffic-free to deploying adequate police officials at sensitive areas and constructing artificial ponds at various locations, the authorities claim to have made all the necessary arrangements to ensure that the festival goes off on a smooth and peacefully note.
According to official data, the city will witness nearly 337 sarvajanik idols and 48,369 household idols. The number of public mandals has, however, slightly dropped this year as compared to last year.
The officials have claim that the stringent norms for constructing pandals, along with the overall slowdown in business, is likely to have played a spoiler for many.
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) had made all arrangements for the roads to be levelled ahead of the festival and approximate an area of 8,000sqm of potholes were filled and repaired over the last few days, said TMC officials. Municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal and Mayor Meenakshi Shinde have appealed to residents to adopt an eco-friendly celebrations and appealed to use artificial ponds for immersions.
The ponds have been constructed at Rayladevi in Wagle Estate, Upwan, Ambeghosale lake, Nilkanth woods, Tikujiniwadi, Balkum Rewale and Kharegaon. The TMC has also set up collection centers where devotees who are unable to immerse the idols can submit them there. The idols will then be collectively immersed by the TMC at a later date. Besides this, facilities have also been made at Parsik Hills, Kolshet and Retibunder for immersion of huge idols.
Last minute inspections were also made by additional municipal commisoner Rajendra Ahiwar at ponds on Wednedsay. “We have made the necessary arrangements for performing rituals, bins have been installed to collect floral waste, a visitors’ gallery and medical facilities have also been places,” said a TMC official.
Meanwhile, the corporation— along with the police— have deployed adequate manpower in various parts of the city and will remain in close coordination to ensure a safe celebration and idol immersion process over the next 10 days. Additional security has been deployed and surveillance has been increased as CCTVs have been installed at various sensitive points, especially on the visarjan days.
This will prevent any untoward incident from taking place, said a civic official.
The TMC had made all arrangements for the roads to be levelled ahead of the festival and approximate an area of 8,000sqm of potholes were filled and repaired over the last few days, said TMC officials. Municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal and Mayor Meenakshi Shinde have appealed to residents to adopt an eco-friendly celebrations and appealed to use artificial ponds for immersions