MMRCL to remove barriers for Ganpati

Mumbai: With only three days to go for Ganeshotsav, Ashwini Bhide, managing director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) on Tuesday said that the barricades put up across the city for the metro rail work will be removed to facilitate easy movement of traffic especially, idols during visarjan. She said the barricading at Dadar, Girg-aum and Kalbadevi will be removed from the fifth to the final visarjan day.

“We are coordinating with the traffic police and the barricading between Dadar and Shitaladevi will be removed and an entire lane will be dedicated for the visarjan route,” said Ms. Bhide.

The Asian Age had reported in its August 9, 2017 issue that the umbrella body of all Ganesh mandals, the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav Saman-vay Samiti (BSGSS) had demanded that ongoing metro work be stopped and barricades removed so as to avoid traffic congestion and inconvenience to devotees. “We are happy that MMRCL accepted our demand. We will ensure that Mumbaikars face minimal inconvenience during the processions. We hope that the authorities will cooperate with us until the last visarjan day,” said Naresh Dahibhawkar, BSGSS president.

However, the MMRCL has clarified that it has no intention of halting work. The body  stressed that wherever the mandals were facing difficulties in erecting pandals, full cooperation was given and barricades were removed. “We have shifted our barricades from the airport area and given them sufficient space,” said Ms. Bhide.