The 11-day Ganpati festival, which was celebrated in a low-key manner this year in view of theCOVID-19 pandemic, concluded with the immersion of over 28,000 idols of Lord Ganesh in Mumbai, an official said on Wednesday. The immersion of idols, which began on Tuesday morningon the occasion of ’Anant Chaturdashi’, marking culmination of the festivities, continued till the early hours of Wednesday.

A total of 28,293, including 3,817 installed at publicmandals and 24,476 installed by citizens at their homes, were immersed in various water bodies in the city by 3 am onWednesday, an official from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. Out of these, 13,742 idols were immersed in artificial ponds set up for the purpose, he said.

”No untoward incident was reported during the immersion,” the official said. Total 445 immersion facilities were arranged in thecity, including 168 artificial ponds, 170 mobile idolcollection centres, 37 mobile immersion points and 70 natural immersion spots, he said.

The civic body appointed 23,000 staff members atvarious locations for smooth conduct of the immersion rituals,he added. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray earlier called for a simple and low-key festival celebration this year in view of the pandemic, and asked Ganesh mandals to undertakesocial welfare programmes.

He also said Ganesh mandals should not install idolswith a height of more than four feet during the festival. The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal, which installs Mumbai’s most famous Ganpati idol, cancelled the GaneshChaturthi celebration this year due to the pandemic.

The GSB Ganeshotsav Samiti in Wadala area here postponed the celebration to ’Magh Shudh Chaturthi’ in February next year. ..

First Published:Sept 2, 2020 11:44 AM IST