Mumbai, Sep 20: Nearly 1.65 lakh idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Gauri were immersed in water bodies across Mumbai during the 10-day-long Ganpati festival held under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic for the second straight year, the civic body said on Monday. The bodies of two of the three youngsters, swept away in sea waters at the Versova jetty during Ganesh idol immersion on Sunday night, were recovered on Monday, civic officials said.
The deceased aged 18 and 20 years, they said. A total of five youngsters had entered the sea at the Versova jetty on Sunday night for immersing an idol. While two of them were rescued by local people, three others were missing, they had said.
As many as 1,64,761 idols – 1,58,229 of Lord Ganesh and 6,532 of Goddess Gauri – were immersed at 73 natural and 137 artificial water bodies during the festival that began on September 10 and concluded on September 19, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) release. These idols included those installed by ‘sarvajanik’ (public) mandals and devotees at their homes.
A total of 34,452 idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Gauri were immersed in water bodies across Mumbai on the last day of the festival. Of the total idols, 79,129 were immersed in artificial lakes and the remaining 8,56,321 in natural water bodies, said the civic body.
As many as 75,687 of the 79,129 idols immersed in artificial lakes were those installed at homes by devotees across the metropolis, it said. The civic body informed that the highest number of 66,299 idols were immersed on the fifth day of the festival.
According to the BMC, it collected 2,65,279 kg of “Nirmalya” or offerings to God between September 10 and 19 and the same is being processed “scientifically” at 38 locations across the city. Flowers and garlands from “Nirmalya” are used for making organic compost that is used at BMC-run gardens.
The famed idol of the ‘Lalbaug Cha Raja’ Ganesh mandal in the metropolis was immersed at Girgaon Chowpatty by around 3 pm on Sunday, an official earlier said. The BMC had deployed 715 lifeguards at various natural and artificial immersion sites to prevent drowning, he said.
The festival was celebrated in a low key manner for the second year in a row in the wake of the pandemic. Earlier, more than 41,000 idols were immersed in various water bodies in the city on the second day of the festival and 15,000 on the seventh day.
The BMC had capped the height of household Ganesh idols to two feet and those of mandals to four feet and also urged devotees to offer prayers online instead of going to ‘pandals’ (marquees) in view of the pandemic.
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