Overview

• The ten-day festival begins today and concludes with Visarjan on Anant Chaturdashi on September 6.
• The Bombay High Court’s interim order in force until at least March 2026 requires idols up to 6 feet to be immersed only in artificial tanks and allows larger idols in natural water bodies under safeguards.
• The state has permitted PoP idols subject to environmental protocols that include visible red-circle marking and mandatory sale registers for PoP idol makers and sellers.
• Local bodies are tasked with collecting immersed idols, cleaning sea beds and other natural water bodies, and ensuring scientific recycling or reuse.
• Mumbai has deployed about 17,600 police personnel, 11,000 CCTV cameras, drones and AI monitoring as large crowds visit pandals including Lalbaugcha Raja and the GSB Seva Mandal, whose idol is adorned with 69 kg of gold and covered by a Rs 474.5-crore insurance policy.