The Panvel Municipal Corporation has cancelled its annual Diwali decorative lighting arrangements across all four wards this year, citing Maharashtra’s drought situation and the need to respond to concerns over water and resource shortages.
The decision was taken at a recent meeting attended by Panvel Mayor Nitin Patil, House Leader Prakash Binedar and Municipal Commissioner Mangesh Chitale, according to the civic body’s Public Relations Department. The corporation usually installs decorative electrical lighting at several locations across its jurisdiction during the Diwali festival.
The cancellation comes after the Maharashtra government declared drought in 304 tehsils where Trigger 1 and Trigger 2 conditions were activated during the 2026 kharif season. The state has also formed a task force headed by the chief secretary to coordinate water conservation measures amid the possibility of an El Nino impact, the report said.
The Panvel civic administration has linked the withdrawal of the illumination arrangements to the wider drought situation rather than to an operational issue with the annual programme. The four-ward decision means that the corporation’s usual decorative lighting will not be installed at the locations covered by its annual arrangements this Diwali.
The move is part of a broader set of measures being taken by the state to manage the effects of inadequate rainfall and possible fodder shortages. The Maharashtra government has earmarked at least five per cent of district annual plan funds for fodder-related schemes and restricted the use and movement of fodder in response to drought conditions.
A government resolution issued by the Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Department directs district collectors to establish fodder banks, set reference price ceilings for dry fodder and introduce biometric tracking at cattle camps. The measures follow recommendations from a study group led by the additional chief secretary, Revenue, which examined shortages caused by inadequate rainfall.
Under the resolution, district collectors will be required to use at least five per cent of district annual plan funds, with the approval of guardian ministers, for schemes to increase fodder production, conserve existing supplies and develop alternative sources. The Agriculture Department has also been directed to ensure adequate availability of fodder seeds for the rabi season.
Farmers and livestock owners are expected to be encouraged to cultivate low-water-use fodder crops that can be harvested more than once. The state-level measures and the Panvel decision place local civic spending within a wider drought-response framework, although the report does not specify the amount that Panvel will save by cancelling the lighting arrangements.
The Panvel Municipal Corporation’s decision was confirmed through its Public Relations Department after the meeting involving the mayor, House Leader and municipal commissioner. No alternative Diwali illumination plan was announced in the supplied report.
