The Bombay High Court has directed authorities to prohibit firecrackers on public roads during festivals.
The order, issued September 24, also calls for action against noise pollution.
It comes days before Mumbai’s Ganpati visarjan.
The city has also seen a fatal electrocution incident at a Ganesh pandal in Kalachowki, which killed two people.
Mumbai Police are ramping up security for the immersion, deploying 23,000 personnel.
The incident has prompted renewed scrutiny of electrical safety arrangements at pandals ahead of the Ganpati visarjan.
A relative of one of the victims has alleged negligence on the part of the pandal organisers.
The Bombay High Court, on September 24, directed authorities to prohibit the use of firecrackers on public roads during festivals.
The court’s order also called for action to be taken against noise pollution during festival celebrations.
Mumbai Police announced a 15-day restriction on the gathering of five or more people in certain areas, effective September 25.
The restriction is aimed at maintaining law and order during the festival period.
Around 23,000 police personnel are being deployed for the Ganpati immersion.
AI-powered cameras will also be used for security and crowd monitoring during the immersion.
Ganpati visarjan, the immersion of Ganesh idols, is one of Mumbai’s largest annual public events, drawing large crowds to the city’s beaches and water bodies.
Authorities in Mumbai typically ramp up safety measures, including traffic diversions and medical arrangements, in the days around the immersion.
Electrical safety at temporary pandal structures has been a recurring concern flagged by civic authorities in past years.
The Kalachowki area is located in central Mumbai.
Ganpati visarjan processions in Mumbai typically involve thousands of idols being carried to immersion points across the city over several days.
Traffic diversions and additional bandobast arrangements are common in Mumbai during the immersion period each year.
Ganpati Visarjan procession (representative image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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