Devendra Fadnavis asks police to ensure devotees’ safety at Ganesh Pandals

Days after a viral video of stampede-like situation outside the city’s much-revered Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh mandal on Wednesday evening went viral Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urged Mumbai police to make better arrangements for the devotees. At present 800 policemen, two deputy commissioners of police and one additional police commissioner are posted at the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal 24/7. Extra police force will be deployed over the weekends.

While defending the police deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said there is a need to take different measures to control overcrowding. “The police regularly conduct drills to control the crowd and all crowd management is being done in consultation with the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal. But it is also true that sometimes there is overcrowding and different measures are required to be taken,” he added.Sudhir Salvi, president of Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal too defended his team’s crown management system. “We have a large number of volunteers to control the crowds and supports the police. The viral video of the mishap is not from Lalbaugcha Raja pandal though we are ensuring that our crowd control measures are effective.To accommodate the throngs of devotees, Lalbaugcha Raja offers two distinct queues. One is the “Mukh darshan,” which provides a chance to catch a glimpse of the deity, while the other is the “Navas darshan line,” which allows devotees to approach the stage and reverently touch Lord Ganesha’s feet.