The Maharashtra government revoked its announcement on height restrictions for idols in sarvajanik mandals, but the civic body highlighted that public Ganeshotsav organizers can’t install statues of more than a certain height. The mismatch between the stances of BMC and the government threw the organizers into a panic, resulting in a low turnout of applicants seeking permission for a mass celebration of the festival.
There are 12,000 Ganesh mandals in Mumbai. Every year, they have to get permission from the BMC, traffic cops, and local police stations to erect pandals. This year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde directed the civic body to start a one-window system for granting all the permissions in one go.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ramakant Biradar told Afternoon Voice, “We had official discussions on the height of the Ganesh idol, and the condition of a limit on the height will be removed in a day or two. Till August 9, around 350 mandals have applied for the permissions, while permission has been given to 260 mandals to erect pandals.”
 To clear up the confusion among public Ganeshotsav organizers regarding the height of Lord Ganesh’s idol, the BMC has decided to do away with the condition of installing four-foot-tall busts, which are eco-friendly as well.
On August 1, the municipality started a one-window system for expeditiously granting permissions to Ganesh mandals. The application process requires mandals to submit an affidavit, stating that they will not set up idols taller than four feet. However, the clause has discouraged many mandals from coming forward to seek permission.
