Mumbai Navratri Guidelines: No Garba Events, Cap On Lordess Durga Idols — Check BMC SOPs

The BMC urged the people of Mumbai to carefully follow the Covid-19 protocols during the nine-day-long festival beginning on October 7.

(File Photo/ Getty)

Mumbai: Issuing guidelines and standard operating procedure (SOP) for the Navratri celebrations, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday said no ‘garba’ events will be allowed during the upcoming festival in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and capped the height of Goddess Durga idols to four feet for community mandals and two feet for household ones.

The BMC urged the people of Mumbai to carefully follow the Covid-19 protocols during the nine-day-long festival beginning on October 7.

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The BMC has urged the people to celebrate the festival in a low-key manner, an official said.

He added that the BMC has asked 'sarvajanik' (public) mandals to take permission from the civic body via the online mode for installing Goddess Durga idols in pandals (marquees), PTI reported.

The official said the heights of idols should be four feet for mandals and two feet for household ones.

He added that no ‘garba’ events will be permitted during the festival.

The official said the mandals should arrange online darshan of idols to avoid crowding and use Facebook and other social media platforms to reach out to the devotees.

He further said that not more than 10 people should be present at the venue at the time of ‘aarti’, adding they should follow all Covid-19 guidelines, including wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.

The official said the immersion of household idols should be done by the devotees at home if it is not possible for them to go to the nearest immersion point set up by the civic body.

The official said only five people can take part in immersion of household idols and 10 devotees in those installed by community groups.

He added the people taking part in immersion should be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The official said the people will not be allowed to submerge idols, which will have to be handed over to the BMC officials at the immersion points.

The official further said if any community mandal installing idols falls under the Covid-19 containment zone then it will have to immerse them in iron water tank in their premises.

He added that if any building or ‘chawl’ is sealed due to detection of Covid-19 cases during the festival then their residents should immerse idols in buckets or water drums in their homes.

This will be for the second straight year that the Navratri festival would be celebrated under the long shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic.