Mumbai’s public Ganesh mandals have asked the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration and civic authorities to issue clear operating procedures for food distribution, noise control, idol immersion and idol dimensions before Ganesh Chaturthi 2026, while affirming that they support measures intended to improve public safety.
The Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti, which represents public Ganesh mandals across the city, raised the concerns during a media interaction at the Mumbai Press Club on Monday. The organisation subsequently wrote to the authorities seeking details of the rules that mandals will have to follow while preparing and distributing mahaprasad, or festival food offerings.
Committee president Naresh Dahibavkar said several mandals had approached the organisation for clarification, particularly over whether they would be required to appoint professional food contractors. He said smaller mandals might not have the funds to do so. “We fully support the action being taken by the department. But our difficulty is that we cannot appoint contractors because we do not have that much money. If a reputed contractor is mandatory, please tell us what we should do,” a committee representative said, according to PTI.
The Maharashtra FDA has recently introduced a year-round standard operating procedure to strengthen food safety monitoring across the state. Under the system, enforcement activity for festivals is scheduled to begin 21 days before an event. FDA teams are expected to identify areas and food products considered vulnerable to adulteration and inspect manufacturers, mills, wholesale markets, storage facilities and other food establishments.
Dahibavkar said mandals should receive the applicable requirements well in advance. He said the committee had not yet received a response from the authorities and added that mandals needed clarity on whether mahaprasad could be served under specified conditions.
The committee also said mandals must comply with prescribed noise limits while using sound amplification systems during the festival. It cited the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, which set permitted limits of 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night, with additional restrictions near hospitals, schools and colleges. Dahibavkar said awareness among mandals had helped improve compliance in Mumbai over the past five to six years, while leaving any decision on a complete ban on DJs to the government and civic authorities.
Immersion arrangements were another concern. The committee said decisions and standard operating procedures should be communicated early enough for mandals to make arrangements. It proposed a rotational immersion system to reduce the time idols remain at immersion sites, citing its implementation at Girgaon Chowpatty last year. According to figures provided by Dahibavkar, around 72,300 eco-friendly idols up to six feet high were immersed last year, compared with approximately 1.11 lakh plaster-of-Paris idols.
The organisation also urged mandals to deploy sufficient manpower during immersion processions because of the large crowds expected during the festival. On idol height, it said decisions should consider the mandap, transportation route, electrical arrangements, traffic management and immersion facilities rather than the idol alone. The committee said an 18-foot restriction had been adopted around 2008, but competition among mandals had complicated implementation. It also sought clarity on how height should be measured, after some mandals interpreted earlier restrictions as permitting additional structures below the idol.
The committee said authorities should also examine the condition of roads, bridges, trolleys and other supporting infrastructure when large idols are transported, rather than placing responsibility automatically on mandals if an idol is damaged. It urged the authorities to issue clear guidelines on food safety, noise limits, immersion arrangements and idol dimensions before the festival.
