The Panvel Municipal Corporation has cancelled its annual Diwali decorative lighting across all four wards this year, linking the decision to Maharashtra’s drought situation and the need to respond to water and fodder concerns.
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 annual illumination is usually arranged at several locations across the corporation’s jurisdiction during Diwali.
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 report said. The state has also formed a task force under the chief secretary to coordinate water conservation measures amid the possibility of an El Nino impact.
For Panvel, the decision means that the civic body’s usual decorative electrical lighting arrangements will not be installed across any of its four wards during this year’s Diwali period. The civic administration has presented the move as a response to the wider drought situation rather than as a change limited to a particular ward or neighbourhood.
The decision also comes as the state government introduces measures to address shortages affecting rural areas. A government resolution issued by the Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Department has directed districts to allocate at least five per cent of their annual plan funds to fodder-related schemes, subject to approval from guardian ministers.
The resolution requires district collectors to establish fodder banks, set reference price ceilings for dry fodder and introduce biometric tracking at cattle camps. It follows recommendations from a study group headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, which examined fodder shortages attributed to inadequate rainfall. The Cabinet subcommittee on drought management accepted the group’s report at a recent meeting.
Under the state measures, funds can be used to increase fodder production, conserve existing supplies, improve their availability 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 Panvel civic body’s announcement places a routine festival expenditure within the state’s broader drought response. While the source does not specify the amount saved or how the funds will be reassigned, the cancellation applies across the corporation’s four wards. Further implementation of the state’s conservation and fodder measures will be coordinated through the chief secretary-led task force and district administrations.
