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Duty call dither Policemen from festivities

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Date: 2005-9-14

Eknath Jadhav
Assistant inspector
Basant Park police station

Jadhav was on duty for Ganesh visarjan on Sept 11 at Charai Lake.

Jadhavs duty often demands that he stay away from festivities.

I had to supervise at least 800 families, who immersed their idols in the lake, he says.

Its such a beautiful festival but I hardly get time to install the idol at home. I cannot even go and see the Ganesh idol at my relatives place as I am on duty on all the 10 days. It is the same story for all the policemen all over the city, he says.

Visarjan day in Jadhav's life
8.30 am Reaches office from his home at Bhandup
9 am Takes charge for the day
1 pm Goes on the field for duty
1.30 pm Drives around Chembur to see if there is any breach in the security arrangement
2.30 pm Reaches Charai Lake
2.30 pm to 1.30 am Keeps the situation under control at Charai Lake as visarjan goes on (eats food on the road)
1.30 am Returns to the police station
2 am Leaves for home
3 am Reaches home

Ramchandra Bhosle
Police Naik
Basant Park police station
Bhosle has spent the last two months working on the security arrangements for Ganesh Chaturthi.

He says, We have to make a record of each and every mandal in Chembur. It involves a lot of paperwork. It is very hectic.

He adds, During the Ganesh festival I have to perform three tasks maintain the records of all the mandals, work in the preventive squad and act as a standby. Indeed, that is story of most policemen in the city during Ganesh visarjan.

Visarjan day in Bhosle's life
8 am Leaves home for work
8.30 am Reaches office from his home at Koparkhairane
8.45 am Takes charge for the day
8.45 am to 12 noon
Completes paperwork, looks at other cases
12 pm Looks at security arrangements for visarjan, keeps a file of all the mandals who will be immersing idols on the day
12.30 pm to midnight Stays in the station to report to superiors
12 midnight Leaves police station for home
12.30 am reaches home

vaibhavi.shitut@mid-day.com