Mumbai: Accidents and Noise Violations Mark end of 10-day Festival

Pics by Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Sep 13: Mumbai Gross violations of noise limits, a mixed response to eco-friendly celebrations, accidents involving devotees and a famous Ganesha idol marked the end of the 10-day festival in the city on Sunday.

The Ganpati idol of Tejukaya cha Raja mandal in Lalbaug fell off the trolley during the immersion procession on Sunday. While BMC maintained that the road where the idol fell was not ridden by potholes, onlookers claimed the uneven surface of the road and paver blocks and an overhead banner, in which the upper part of the idol got stuck, caused the 18-ft idol to fall. However, no casualties were reported.

The incident happened near Ganesh Talkies before the Chinchpokli flyover. Arum Gawkar from the Tejukaya Mandal said it was an unfortunate accident and they are not blaming anyone. “There was a flag on top of the idol and along with the trolley, the total height had reached 23 ft and a banner came in the way. The road surface was not very bad, but uneven. We are not blaming either the BMC or those who put the banner,” he said.

Additional Municipal Commissioner Mohan Adtani said the road was not in a bad shape and the incident is most likely to have been caused due to the banner. Home Minister R R Patil also asked for a report on the incident.

The BMC on Monday said it could not have done anything to prevent the incident that happened on Sunday afternoon when a concrete weather shed of a shop collapsed due to overloading of people standing on it to catch a glimpse of the Lalbaugcha Raja. The ledge-like structure of Mohammadi Building near Bharatmata theatre collapsed as the procession was passing by.

Five injured persons were admitted to KEM Hospital and their condition is stable, said Dr Pravin Bangar, Senior AMO. According to BMC’s disaster management cell, the debris of the structure fell on the roof of a shop, which also collapsed. Hindurao Jadhav (46), who was standing near the shop when the collapse happened, died.

Meanwhile, the revelry of the final day of the festival resulted in gross violations of noise limits all over the city, including silence zones. Some areas recorded up to 105 decibels (dB) — well above the limit of 55 dB.

Awaaz Foundation, an anti-noise pollution group, found that as many as 43 locations across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane recorded sound levels above the permissible limit. Some of the worst offenders were in Dadar, Parel, Matunga, Mahim, Worli and areas near Breach Candy and Asha Parikh Hospital, where the continuous beating of drums and other instruments raised the noise levels up to 100 dB.

“Certain parts of the city were quieter than in previous years, but others were noisier than before. There was continuous movement of trucks, with DJs stopping for long periods in front of hospitals and silence zones,” said Sumaira Abdulali, convenor of Awaaz. Thane again ignored the Bombay High Court’s directive to curb noise pollution during festivals, with noise levels touching 100 dB.