Ganesh Visarjan: People bid farewell to Ganpati, more than 7,500 idols immersed

The Ganesh Chaturthi festival concluded on Tuesday, with massive processions headed for the final immersion of the Ganpati idols into water. In Mumbai, more than 7,500 idols were immersed in a day, reported news agency PTI.
Across Maharashtra, the 10-day festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi have been slowly winding down as people accompanied with song and dance bid farewell to their Ganesh idols.
Out of 7,500 idols that were immersed in Mumbai, 7,227 were household Ganpatis, 300 belonged to `sarvajanik mandals’ (community groups) and about 50 were of Goddess Gauri, reported PTI.
In many places, eco-friendly alternatives have also been adopted to prevent pollution in the sea. In Mumbai, the BMC provided 204 artificial ponds, in addition to 69 approved natural water bodies, where more than a thousand idols were immersed.
According to PTI, one family even paraded their Ganpati idol in a vintage Rolls-Royce that they rented specifically for Visarjan.
To ensure safety, 24,000 police personnel had been set up, along with CCTV and drone surveillance as well as 71 control rooms to monitor the huge gatherings in the city. Lifeguards and speedboats were also made available to prevent any mishap near water bodies.
While the festivities came to a joyous end in most places, tragedy struck when eight men in Gujarat and one in Punjab, drowned while immersing the Ganesh idol.
Officials have warned people to be cautious while entering water bodies during the idol immersion.
Ganesh Chaturthi this year also sparked political controversy after prime minister Narendra Modi attended a Ganesh puja at Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud’s house. Hitting back at criticism, PM Modi stated in a speech that, “People who are hungry for power have an issue with Ganesh Pooja”.