India, Aug. 19 -- Seeking to protect the newly concretised roads in the city, the BMC has announced a Rs.2,000 fine for every pothole dug on roads or footpaths to construct Ganeshotsav mandaps. It has urged Ganesh mandals to adopt pit-free construction techniques instead.

Mumbai has around 10,000 to 11,000 public Ganeshotsav mandals, of which an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 are temporary mandaps on roads or footpaths. This year, the BMC has also made it mandatory for Ganesh mandals to specify the size and height of their idols in the registration forms.

The civic initiatives have come up following the Mahayuti government's declaration of Sarvajanik (public) Ganeshotsav as a 'state festival' and its intention of developing it as a global cul...