Thane civic authorities have been directed to complete all work at the city’s Ganesh immersion ghats by September 13, ahead of the festival season and the first major immersion day, according to a report by Loksatta – Thane.
The instructions were issued by Thane mayor Sharmila Pimpolkar during inspections of immersion facilities on Tuesday. She reviewed preparations at Datta Ghat near Masunda Lake, the artificial lake at Railandewadi and the immersion ghat at Gaimukh. The mayor had earlier inspected facilities at Kopri, Kolshet and Parsik on Friday.
The inspections covered ongoing construction and maintenance work, facilities planned for devotees, security arrangements, traffic management and sanitation. Pimpolkar directed the municipal administration to complete priority work at the ghats by September 13, before the Ganesh festival begins on the following Monday.
Among the works identified for priority completion are artificial immersion ponds, electrical arrangements and closed-circuit television cameras. The mayor also instructed officials to create a safe environment at the ghats in view of the large crowds expected during the festival.
The civic administration has been asked to provide barricades around municipal lakes, separate spaces for devotees to perform aarti, weather sheds in case of rain and mobile toilets. Other facilities listed during the inspections include loudspeaker systems, information and direction boards, nirmalya collection containers, drinking water and cleaning arrangements.
The preparations are also intended to cover housing complexes across Thane, where residents conduct immersion ceremonies within their premises. Pimpolkar directed the administration to make immersion tanks available at large housing societies so that residents can use designated facilities closer to home.
Immersion activity takes place on several days, beginning with the immersion of one-and-a-half-day idols and continuing through Anant Chaturdashi. This results in recurring crowds at immersion locations rather than a single-day surge. The civic instructions therefore cover facilities and crowd management across the festival period.
The report did not provide details of the number of ghats, the budget allocated for the preparations or the current completion status of each facility. The immediate civic deadline is September 13, when the specified arrangements are expected to be ready for devotees.
