Reportedly the Maharashtra government issued guidelines for celebrating Ganesh Utsav, the biggest festival of the state, in the wake of the coronavirus crisis in the state. The ten day ganesh chaturthi festival will begin from august 22, media reports said. home minister anil Deshmukh has appealed to all Ganesh Mandals to follow these guidelines. Meanwhile the uddhav thackeray led maharashtra government has also capped the maximum idol height of Ganpati at 4 feet. It also said that there should be no extra decoration.
In keeping view of the surge in coronavirus cases in the state, the guideline said, a limited number of pavilions should be set up in accordance with the orders issued by the court and the policy of the Municipal Corporation. Ganpati mandapa should be disinfected and adequate thermal screening should be arranged. Social distancing, hygiene rules should be followed by devotees, said the guideline.
Accordingly organizers of the celebration should keep in mind that while organizing aarti, other religious programs, there should be no crowd and rules regarding noise pollution should be followed. Huge processions to mark the arrival and immersion of idols not to be allowed as it attracts a lot of crowd. Arrangements should be made for live streaming of darshan of Lord Ganesha through online cable networks. Children and senior citizens should avoid going to the immersion site for safety reasons. The immersion procession of all the household Ganesha idols from one building should not be taken out together. The state government has urged people to use metal or marble Ganesh idols at home.
In the case of clay idols, immersion should be done at home or in artificial ponds. Instead of cultural programs, health-related activities/camps should be organized. Priority should be given to organizing blood donation camps and raising awareness about diseases like coronavirus, malaria, and dengue.
