Click to play videoNew Delhi: India begins celebrations of the Ganapati festival on Sunday, August 22, 2009 amidst the H1N1 scare and terror threats. The festival stretches from Ganesh Chaturthi to Anant Chaturdashi, a 10-day period of festivities beginning on Sunday.
The Ganesh pandals in Mumbai are geared up play host to the favourite God of Maharashtra while still effectively dealing with the twin threats of swine flu and terror.
The pandals or mandals as they are called are organisations that host spectacular Ganesha idols and the activities surrounding the Ganapati festival.
Some mandals have come up with an innovative plan to distribute swine flu masks to visitors in an effort to lower the risk of visitors or participants infecting each other while moving about.
The president of Girgaumcha Raja pandal, Shrikant Tendular said, "We plan to collect and distribute swine flu masks and medicines if people who visit want to use them."
The larger mandals however say that it will be practically impossible for them to provide masks. But these mandals also promise that they will have teams of doctors on standby and have put up statutory warnings of how to combat the epidemic. The health ministry too has published advisories in leading dailies.
It is not just swine flu though that the Ganesh mandals across the city plan to combat. Securing their set-ups and visitors against any possible terror attacks is prime on their minds too.
Many mandals are relying heavily on electronic surveillance.
- The famous Lalbaugcha Raja will have 30 CCTVs and volunteers will be equipped with walkie-talkie sets.
- The Ganesh gully Ganapati mandal will have 23 CCTVs.
- The GSB mandal plans to have 32 cameras, metal detectors and ex-armymen guiding its security setup.
The Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) in Mumbai, Himanshu Rai said, "We have QRTs as you are aware and we also have combat vehicles. So all these teams will be deployed in such a way that we are best prepared to meet any possible threat.
The overall scenario of preparedness in Mumbai's Ganapati festivities depict that organisers plan to spare no efforts to make the festival safe during the ten-days that the city prays to Lord Ganesha.
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