96 CCTV cameras to be installed in and around the pandal to be put up by Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust for the festival
96 CCTV cameras to be installed in and around the pandal to be put up by Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Trust for the festival
One of the oldest Ganpati mandal in the city will go hi-tech this year. Following the serial blasts in Mumbai, Ganpati mandals in the city are sparing no money and effort to ensure the safety of their lakhs of devotees. 
Gearing up for Ganeshotsav:u00a0 The replica of the Ramkrishna Mutt
Temple in Bellur, Kolkata, is being constructed for the Shrimant Dagdusheth
Halwai Ganpati Mandal near Saras Baug. pic/Krunal Gosavi
The 119-year-old Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandal (SDHGM) will invest a sizeable amount of the 31.5 crore collected as income last year to install about 96 CCTV cameras in its pandal.
Ashok Godse, president of SDHGM, said that the trust would install the cameras on the adjoining roads spanning 200m from the Ganpati pandal.u00a0
"We have been chosen six places including Lal Mahal, Lokmanya Tilak statue, Shrinath Theatre on Shivaji Road, Budhwar Peth and City Post Chowk. Each area shall have a set of 16 CCTV cameras, which can also shoot pictures of people moving about suspiciously," Godse said.
"We are considering the security issue a social responsibility and are not depending solely on the police. About 100 home guards will be deployed during the festival. Of these, 40 home guards will be paid with money from the mandal's fund."
He said even the armed policemen deployed near the idol of the deity would be paid by the mandal. "We have made our own security arrangement by deploying 100 plainclothes security guards to ensure a safe and secure festival. We have to take all these precautions because the crowd at SDHGM is large," Godse said.
Ramkrishna mutt temple
Dagdusheth Ganpati will be decorated with a huge replica of the Ramkrishna Mutt Temple of Bellur in Kolkata. The replica will be designed by Vivek Khatavkar, a noted sculptor and set designer. The 80-feet high and 100-feet long and 50-feet wide temple shall be decorated with a string of over 1.5 lakh colour luminous bulbs.
The entire set will be made of wood. Khatavkar visited the place two months ago and said it was a great combination of various architectural styles in the country. The temple is being created as this year is the 175th birth anniversary of Ramkrishna Paramhansa and 150th birth anniversary of his disciple Swami Vivekananda.
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