Ganeshotsav 2026 immersion arrangements at Mumbai’s Swarajyabhoomi Chowpatty in Girgaon were reviewed by a team from IIM Mumbai and 13 Indian Revenue Services officers, who examined crowd management, civic facilities, emergency preparedness and coordination between agencies, officials said.
The visit was organised by IIM Mumbai under its Public Policy Management Programme with the aim of giving participants practical exposure to large-scale public event management, urban governance and field-level implementation. The study team included senior officials from the Union Finance, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Revenue, Home, and Information and Broadcasting ministries, along with representatives from the judiciary, banking, industry, non-profit organisations and consultancy firms.
Girgaon’s Swarajyabhoomi Chowpatty records one of the highest numbers of Ganesh idol immersions in Mumbai. The BMC said it has deployed 20 towers, 12 artificial ponds, 90 toilets, 22 rafts, 1,194 German-steel plates, 22 nirmalya collection bins, one primary health centre, 548 floodlights, 11 searchlights, three ambulances and around 1,000 personnel at the site.
The arrangements also include drinking water facilities, mobile toilets, lifeguards and round-the-clock cleanliness operations. Artificial ponds have been created for idols up to six feet in height. Around 1,200 steel plates have been laid on the sand to prevent vehicles transporting idols from getting stuck, according to the report.
BMC Assistant Commissioner for D Ward Santosh Salunkhe explained the arrangements at the immersion site, including the control room and civic facilities. The civic body said preparations for the festival begin around three months in advance, reflecting the scale of planning required for the arrival of large numbers of devotees and the movement of idols through the city.
Rashmi Lokhande, chief officer of the BMC Disaster Management Department, presented the study team with details of the city’s emergency management system and the immersion arrangements. The presentation covered control-room operations, inter-agency coordination, crowd management, traffic regulation, emergency response, sanitation, health facilities, eco-friendly measures and real-time monitoring through technology.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Dnyaneshwar Wagh briefed the team on security arrangements, crowd-control measures and the use of artificial intelligence technology to monitor crowds and prevent accidents. The police and civic authorities are coordinating the management of movement, safety and emergency response at the site.
Members of the study team praised the BMC, Mumbai Police and other agencies for their planning and coordination. They said managing the safety, health and civic requirements of lakhs of devotees while ensuring orderly immersions provides an example of public and urban administration.
The review concluded with the participating officers and IIM Mumbai faculty members acknowledging the use of coordinated planning and technology in managing the large-scale festival. The BMC, police and other agencies are continuing their immersion-site operations through the festival period.
