Ganpati Visarjan: Mumbai Traffic Advisory Issued, Special Local Trains to Run, More CCTVs Installed | Details

With this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi festival coming to an end, the Mumbai Police are expecting a massive footfall near city beaches for Ganpati Visarjan on Thursday. In view of the last day of the 10-day-long Ganeshotsav celebrations, a traffic advisory has been issued for smooth vehicular movement and more than 19,000 personnel, including officers, have been deployed to ensure the safety of the citizens. Several special local trains will run on Mumbai’s suburban railway network on the night of Anant Chaturdashi for passengers returning after immersion of idols.

Similar security arrangements will be in force for Eid-e-Milad, which will be marked by organising processions on Friday.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has posted 1,337 lifeguards, including 1,035 at 69 natural water bodies and 302 at around 200 artificial ponds, and arranged 53 motorboats at natural water bodies, an official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Thousands of household and public Ganesh idols will be immersed at 73 places, including at Girgaon Dadar, Juhu, Marve, and Aksa beaches, on Anant Chaturdashi.

The Ganeshotsav began on September 19. It is celebrated with great fervor in various parts of the country, but it holds special significance in Mumbai, where pandals with gigantic Ganesha statues are set up in multiple parts of the city. This year, the festival was celebrated from September 19 to September 29.

Mumbai Traffic ADVISORY

The advisory released by the city traffic police said that the regulations have been notified in order to ensure that there is no inconvenience faced by the public and that there’s a smooth flow of vehicular traffic in the city.

• The entry of heavy vehicles in the Greater Mumbai road will be prohibited on September 28 from 10 am to 6 am of the next morning.
• The ones who are exempted from the above traffic order include vehicles carrying vegetables, milk, bread and bakery products.
• Tankers of drinking water,petrol, diesel and kerosene, ambulances, government and semi-government vehicles as well as school buses are also exempted from the above order.

Over 19,000 PERSONNEL DEPLOYED BY MUMBAI POLICE

• Police will be deploying more than 19,000 personnel, including officers, to thwart any untoward incident when processions will be taken out to immerse idols on the last day of the Ganesh festival.
• Various Muslim organisations and religious leaders have decided to take out Eid-e-Milad processions on Friday instead of Thursday in view of Anant Chaturdashi after a police appeal.
• On Wednesday, Satyanarayan Choudhary, Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police (Law and Order) said that ahead of Ganpati visarjan on Thursday, arrangements have been made by the city police.
• The Joint CP said that eight additional commissioners, 25 Deputy Commissioners and 45 Assistant Commissioners will be on the ground.
• Around 2466 officers and 16250 police officials will be posted in Mumbai city. He also said that 35 platoons of State Reserve Police Force SRPF, a company of Rapid Action Force, Quick Response Team (QRT) and Home Guards will be deployed as an additional backup.
• The crowded places will be monitores through nearly 7,000 CCTV cameras and a special priority would be given for the safety of women. Patrolling will also be carried out by the civil cops and the Nirbhaya squad.
• Traffic Police personnel will ensure that traffic snarls are avoided when processions will be taken out, he said.
• Separate control rooms will be set up to monitor the immersion processions.

SPECIAL Mumbai Local TRAINS to Run on LAST DAY OF Ganesh Puja

• Around eighteen special train services will be operated on Mumbai’s suburban railway network on  the night of Anant Chaturdashi (September 28), which is the last day of the Ganapati festival. The trains will run for passengers returning after immersion of Ganesha idols.
• As per a release by the Central Railways, about 10 suburban special trains will be run between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kalyan, Thane, and Belapur stations on the intervening night of September 28 and September 29.
• Of the 10 services, six will be operated on the main line between CSMT-Thane and Kalyan stations, while four will be run on the harbour line between CSMT and Belapur station at 12.05 am on September 29, the release stated,
• The Western Railway will operate eight suburban special services between Churchgate and Virar stations from 12.15 am on September 29.
• Anticipating heavy rush at Charni Road station due to the immersion, the Western Railway has also decided to halt all Churchgate-bound fast trains at all the stations between 5 pm and 8.30 pm.
• All Churchgate-bound slow trains will not halt at platform number two at Charni Road station between 5 pm and 10 pm to reduce congestion on platforms, it said.

On the occassion of Anant Chaturdashi, thousands of household and public Ganesh idols will be immersed at 73 places, which includes Girgaon Dadar, Juhu, Marve and Aksa beaches.

Preparations have also been made by the Mumbai civic body for the immersion processions.

(with PTI inputs)