Summary:
Mumbai, Sep 19 (PTI) A total of 19,779 idols of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Gauri were immersed till 9 pm on Sunday in various water bodies in Mumbai as curtains came down on the 10-day Ganpati festival held amid various restrictions imposed for the second year in a row in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, a civic official said.
No untoward incident was reported till late night during the immersions, he said.
The festival, which in normal times used to witness large gatherings and long queues on streets outside public mandals that host the celebrations, began on September 10.
This year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) set up artificial lakes at 173 locations in the city, as well as idol collection centres and mobile immersion sites at various places to avoid crowding in the wake of the pandemic, the BMC official said.
Besides, there were 73 locations of immersion at natural water bodies in the city civic limits and at all these places necessary arrangements were made by the BMC, he said.
Till 9 pm, 1,910 idols of "sarvajanik" (public) mandals, 17,623 household Ganesh idols and 246 idols of Goddess Gauri were immersed in various water bodies here.