The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has issued a set of safety, food hygiene, cleanliness and environmental guidelines for devotees and public Ganesh mandals ahead of Ganeshotsav 2026, asking organisers to keep pandal areas clean, prevent fire risks and ensure that prasad is prepared and distributed in accordance with food safety regulations.
The civic body has instructed mandals not to store inflammable materials on pandal premises and to keep fire-prevention equipment readily available. Organisers have also been asked to avoid noise pollution and follow instructions issued by the BMC and Mumbai Police during the festival.
For waste management, the BMC has appealed to devotees not to throw nirmalya, including flowers and other puja offerings, into regular garbage bins. The offerings should instead be deposited in designated nirmalya kalash provided for collection. The instruction is intended to keep festival areas cleaner and ensure that religious offerings are handled separately from other waste.
The civic body has also urged citizens to avoid banned plastic bags and exercise caution while visiting crowded pandals, particularly when accompanied by children. Devotees have been advised to maintain the sanctity of the festival and avoid consuming alcohol. The sale and consumption of tobacco products have also been discouraged at festival locations.
The BMC has issued specific requirements for public festival mandals, their office-bearers and food business operators involved in preparing or distributing prasad. It said these activities must comply with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and regulations notified in 2011.
Mandals have been directed to purchase raw materials and food items for prasad only from licensed or registered food business operators. Fruits used as prasad should be sourced from known licensed or registered dealers, while raw, rotten or spoiled fruits must not be used. Water used to prepare prasad must be fit for drinking, and caterers preparing the food must hold the required licence.
The premises where prasad is prepared must be kept clean and hygienic. The BMC has advised devotees to exercise caution while purchasing sweets and food products made with khoya or mawa. Food Safety Officers and other concerned officials are expected to inspect food preparation and distribution facilities, and mandals have been asked to cooperate with them and follow their instructions.
Citizens with complaints or concerns about food or prasad can approach the Food Safety Officer, Assistant Commissioner Food, designated officer or Medical Officer Health of the concerned BMC ward. The arrangement places responsibility for food safety at both the organiser and ward-administration levels.
The civic body has also encouraged eco-friendly celebrations. Devotees and mandals have been asked to choose eco-friendly Ganesh idols, use artificial ponds for immersion where possible and prefer environmentally friendly colours. For decorations, the BMC has recommended paper or other eco-friendly materials instead of thermocol.
The guidelines cover several points at which festival activity places pressure on Mumbai’s public systems: waste collection, fire preparedness, food inspection, crowd safety and immersion management. The BMC has said devotees and mandals must strictly follow its instructions as well as those issued by the Mumbai Police.
In an emergency, citizens can contact the BMC control room through helpline number 1916.
