The police department in Bengaluru has issued an advisory to the organising committees of Ganesh Chaturti celebrations on Thursday, warning that traffic cannot be diverted for the sake of idol processions.
This comes after a peace committee meeting that was held on Tuesday at Town Hall in Bengaluru by officials of SP Park Police Station. The meeting was convened by D Devaraj (DCP Central) and was attended by members of Ganesha Chaturti organising committees from across the city.
The advisory has been handed out to everyone who attended the meeting and it asks organisers of celebrations in the city to not hold events on disputed land. "Installation of Ganesha idols is not allowed on disputed land. Organisers should take permission from the owner of the land and the same should be communicated to the nearest police station," reads the advisory.
The organisers should also obtain permission from the concerned police station, clearly detailing the route they will take for the processions. Further, organisers have been asked to keep fire extinguishers at hand, clearly mark 'in' and 'out' barricades, and carry out processions without diverting traffic. It also prohibits the forcible collection of donations by those celebrating the festival.
The organisers of big events have also been asked to obtain a no-objection certificate from the Fire Department and the traffic police in their area. A permission letter should also be obtained from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in the event of setting up a pandal for the celebrations in Bengaluru. The BBMP will not be collecting any rent for those who want to set up pandals.