City’s most popular Ganesh idol to stick by Covid rules this year, too; devotees will have only online darshan, say organisers
During pre-Covid years, lakhs of people would queue up for hours to get a glimpse of Lalbaugcha Raja. File/Pradeep Dhivar
A year after the pandemic grounded the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav, the first time in its 87-year-old history, the popular pandal will be back in action this time, with restrictions though. Like last year, the height of the idol will be only four feet as per government norms.
The organisers of the festival have requested citizens to not visit the pandal to avoid crowding. There will be only online darshan.
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The event had to be cancelled last year as the entire nation was in lockdown due to the Covid outbreak. The mandal had organised blood and plasma donation camps then.
The Ganpati festival will start on September 10 this year.
Also read: Mumbai: Central Railway to run 72 'Ganpati festival' special trains
Mandal president Balasaheb Kamble told mid-day, “This year we are welcoming Lord Ganesha at our mandal. There are government norms due to Covid-19 and we will follow them. We will do aarti and pooja but devotees won’t be allowed at the pandal for darshan. We will arrange online darshan for them.”
Kamble said their Ganesha idol used to be 18-foot-tall earlier and would be made at the pandal itself in June and July. “We will soon take a call on whether to make the idol inside the pandal or somewhere else. We are working on an arrangement to help devotees reach their offerings to Lalbaugcha Raja. We will also hold a meeting on immersion. Nothing is final yet,” he added.
During pre-Covid years, lakhs of people would queue up for hours to get a glimpse of Lalbaugcha Raja, which is considered the most popular Ganesh idol in the city.
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