Have health camps instead of garba: Maha govt to Navratri mandals

Going by the guidelines issued by the state government it seems even Navratri this year is going to be a lowkey affair like Ganeshotsav The government has not given permission for garba events during the festival which is scheduled to start on October 17 Instead it wants mandals organisers to conduct healthcare programmes in view of the pandemicAccording to the state governments guidelines mandals will have to take permission for erecting pandals and their height has to be as per the high court guidelinesAt any given time only five people would be allowed inside mandaps and food and beverage would not be served in the pandals Immersion processions will not be allowed and the idols from containment zones wouldhave to be immersed in artificial ponds that the civic body will make available around that timeAccording to the govt guidelines this year immersion processions will not be allowed File picThe height of idols has been capped at 4 ft for sarvajanik mandals and 2 ft for the residential ones The home department doesnt want people to be forced to give donations for the festival Accept wilful donations it says adding that the commercials on display should not attract crowds See to it that the commercials create awareness about health and the governments My family my responsibility programmeOnline darshanIt further specified that instead of conducting garba and dandiya events the mandals should organise blood donation camps and awareness programmes regarding prevention of COVID19 dengue malaria etc The guidelines also mention that to avoid crowding darshan should be made available online and aarti pooja and bhajan should be held with minimum attendanceDevotees willing to visit pandals should undergo thermal screening be provided with sanitiser and allowed to move in and out as per social distancing rules Restrictions have also been imposed on the Ravan dahan programme held on Dussehra The home department wants it to be a symbolic one and only a handful of people should be there on ground to burn the effigy Dont invite people Webcast the programme on social media it saysIn view of the guidelines midday spoke to some Navratri organisers Damu Sharma secretary of Shri Sanghani Estate Navratri Mahotsav Mandal Ghatkopar West said We have been celebrating the festival for the last 70 years This time along with it we will also organise medical camps We will follow the government guidelines and conduct blood donation and antigen test campsJignesh Kotecha of Naidu Club Borivli said We have been celebrating Navratri at the Kora Kendra Ground for many years but this year we will only do the pooja However we are still thinking about whether to conduct the camps as per the government guidelines No decision has been taken yetWe have been celebrating Navratri at the Rashmin Nagar Ground for the last 23 years But this time we will follow the guidelines and not organise garba Only pooja and aarti will be conducted We will also arrange for a plasma donation camp said Rita Sarvaiya secretary of Maa Aarasuri Navratri Mandal VirarWith inputs from Badal Pandya4ftMaximum height fixed for idols of sarvajanik mandals2ftMax height for residential idolsKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news