Ganpati mandals decry hike in pothole penalty from ₹2,000 to ₹15,000, seek roll-back
The hike will place unreasonable financial burden on organisers of the festival and leave them susceptible to penal action, said advocate Naresh Dahibawkar, chairman of the Samiti which represents around 2,000 Ganpati mandals.
'Such strict enforcement is not there even for contractors who construct poor roads,' said Dahibawkar. 'We will follow up with both the BMC and the state government to seek cancellation of the fine.'
For several years now, the BMC has been levying penalties on Ganpati mandals for potholes found in the vicinity of Ganpati pandals after the festival. Till last year, the penalty was ₹2,000 per pothole. But on July 21 this year, the civic body issued a circular notifying a hike in the fine to ₹15,000 per pothole.
Ganpati mandals across the city, including the richest and most popular ones, were alarmed by the decision. More so because they were expecting some concessions after the state government, on July 10, declared Ganeshotsav the state festival.
At a meeting of the Samiti held on Saturday in Dadar, representatives of various mandals raised concerns about the hike, and unanimously resolved to urge the authorities for a rollback.
'Many mandals take the initiative to fill potholes after the festival,' said a mandal representative who attended the meeting. 'Yet, the BMC is targeting mandals. This is grossly unfair.'
Mandal representatives also raised other concerns during Saturday's meeting, including BMC's insistence on undertakings for immersion of plaster of paris idols, the need for insurance coverage for both mandals and devotees, and coordination with traffic and police officers during the 10-day festival.
After listening to concerns of various mandals, the Samiti resolved to take up the demand for scrapping the penalty hike with the civic body and the state government. It also constituted two sub-committees – one each for the eastern and western suburbs – to better address hyperlocal issues faced by mandals.
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