Aurangabad: Over 3 ,500 villages, 40 per cent of them in eight districts of drought-prone Marathwada have opted for one village one Ganpati (OVOG) concept. The move apart from being eco-friendly has also eased police burden.Authorities maintained that the concept eases the work of police in terms of overall monitoring, security, law and order, apart from making things easier for local civic bodies, state electricity board as well as district administration. The concept also mitigates water pollution.“Cleanliness and environmental concerns is the major reason for villagers to opt for OVOG,” said farmer activist Deepak Joshi from Paithan taluka.This year, the region is set to witness over 14,215 Ganesh mandals in eight districts of the region. They fall under the jurisdiction of eight police units and the police commissionorate of Aurangabad city.Aurangabad commissioner of police Chiranjeev Prasad said, “Though we have very few villages in our jurisdiction, we strongly feel that from the point of view of providing police bandobast, going for OVOG is the best option.”Authorities maintained that mandals under OVOG do not even require police bandobast due to the bustle of the entire village around the one mandal. It barely leaves any scope for miscreants to create any mischief.Moreover, such mandals become a symbol of unity as villagers leave aside their differences to gather daily for paying obeisance and performing puja.Police officers believe that if the concept is implemented across the 8,535 villages of Marathwada, police will not need additional police force. Out of the total number of villages, 3,564 have opted for OVOG.Inspector general of police of Aurangabad range Prakash Mutyal said, “The concept of having OVOG is in sync with the ideology of Balgangadhar Tilak. He intended to bring the society together through the 10-day long celebration.Police officers also appreciate that the villages going for OVOG concept are also curtailing unwanted expenditure.Inspector general of police Nanded range FK Patil said, “At a time when the region has already witnessed several farmer suicides, villagers opting for OVOG is a welcome step.”Authorities informed that from next year efforts will be made to convince more villages to go for OVOG.

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