The 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai ended on Thursday.
The 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival ended on Thursday, with thousands across Mumbai taking idols of the Hindu god for immersion as part of the visarjan ceremony while raising chants of "Ganapati Bappa Morya".
Special focus was placed on safeguarding the environment this year, and eco-friendly arrangements were made in several pandals across the city. Police teams, civic workers, ambulances and fire brigade personnel were kept on standby to ensure people's safety.
Around 8,000 workers belonging to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and 40,000 police personnel, besides Force One, State Reserve Police Force and Quick Response Teams, kept an eye on city traffic in view of the festival. Around 5,000 CCTV cameras also helped the authorities monitor the religious proceedings.
For better crowd management, police closed a few dilapidated bridges and roads for traffic. "We urge you all to ensure a safe, secure and peaceful #GaneshVisarjan," the Mumbai police tweeted in a message to devotees.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered prayers at his official residence in Mumbai before proceeding with the immersion of his eco-friendly Ganesh idol.
Ganesh visarjan processions were taken out for as many as 5,630 public idols and 31,072 personal ones. The idols were immersed in the Arabian Sea along Girgaon, besides 69 other water bodies across the city. Despite the rain and overbearing humidity, thousands of Mumbai residents emerged from their homes to catch a glimpse of the Ganesha immersions.
About 23,000 idols were immersed until 10 pm, news agency PTI quoted the BMC as saying.