Nashik: Mandals that have been organising Ganesh Festival at the BD Bhalekar School ground for decades have refused to celebrate the event at the Idgah Maidan ground this year.The civic administration has refused permission to the Mandals to celebrate the festival at the school ground as concretisation work for parking facility under the Smart City project is under way at the place.The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) gave the option of Idgah Maidan on Wednesday but the Mandals said they will boycott the celebration.On July 31, the NMC convened a meeting with the Mandals to discuss various issues, rules and regulations but their representatives stormed out of the meeting saying that as per tradition, the mayor conduct the meeting and not the municipal commissioner.Around eight Mandals, including HAL, Mahindra & Mahindra, VIP Industries and Bosch India have been organising the festival on the school ground, which belongs to the NMC.Elected representatives and the Mandals have been demanding that the NMC allow them to use the school ground for the festival but the NMC has made it clear that they cannot permit any programme at the place till November.“We have been informed by the NMC through a letter that the Mandals could conduct the festival at the Idgah Maidan, but we are against it,” said Ganesh Barve, representative of the Mandals conducting the festival at school ground.Barve’s Shree Raje Chhatrapati Samajik Sanskritik Kala Krida Mandal has been organising Ganesh Festival at the school ground for the last three years as their original location at the old Tambat lane is congested.On the refusal to use the Idgah Maidan, Barve said, “We will conduct the festival for 10 days at Idgah Maidan but law and order situation may arise if anyone raises an objection. Besides, the Idgah Maidan is close to the Civil Hospital, which is a silent zone. We will not be able to play loudspeakers. We will conduct the festival on Bhalekar ground or else we will boycott it.”The civic body reiterated that adjustment will have to be made this year as construction work was going on at the school ground. “Till November, we cannot permit any programmes to be conducted on Bhalekar ground. We have given them the option of Idgah Maidan this year,” said a civic official.

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