BMC's cautionary for Ganesh processions using 13 shaky bridges in Mumbai

Mumbai: A week before Maharashtra's biggest public festival Ganeshotsav, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday issued a warning to the revellers while taking out Lord Ganesh idol processions on 13 old and dangerous bridges across Mumbai.

The BMC cautionary comes for the big and small processions that are taken out during the arrival on the first day (September 7), and then, the phases of immersion for one-and-half-day, five days, seven days and the final day (September 17).

The civic body has called upon the people to take extreme care while taking out the processions over these bridges on the Central Railway and Western Railway lines, some of which are undergoing repairs.

The caution, apparently arising out of the recent crash of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in Malvan's Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, the BMC has said that the repairs of the other bridges would be taken up post-monsoon.

However, people should stop crowding with simultaneous processions along these bridges to prevent overloading, avoid dancing during the processions passing over them, and quickly clear them for the other processions, for which the BMC and Mumbai Police would also issue advisories.

Among the creaky bridges listed on the CR are -- Ghatkopar Railway Over Bridge (ROB), Currey Road ROB, Arthur Road ROB, Chinchpokli ROB, Byculla ROB, and Sion station ROB.

On the WR, the dangerous bridges are -- Marine Lines ROB, Sandhurst Road and French ROB and Kennedy ROB (all connecting Grant Road-Charni Road stations).

The other crumbling bridges are Falkland ROB (linking Grant Road-Mumbai Central), Mahalaxmi ROB, Prabhadevi ROB and LT Road ROB at Dadar.

During the ensuing Ganeshotsav festival, lakhs of giant, big and small idols of the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha shall be brought to public marquees, public and private buildings, housing complexes and individual homes, and shall be worshipped by millions of devotees.

Later, these idols shall be immersed on their designated days with ceremonial processions taken out to the Arabian Sea, at beaches, creeks, the Mithi river, lakes, natural or artificial ponds, wells and other water bodies.