As Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner, the Ahmedabad city police have announced an unusual regulation regarding the Visarjan (procession for the Ganesh idol immersion).
As per the new rule, organisers seeking permission at the local police station must mandatorily provide the names and addresses of 15 to 20 influential people in their area. Moreover, special permission will be required for the Ganesh idol immersion procession.
This requirement of providing names of influential local individuals during the permission process has caused confusion among the organisers. The Ganesh festival will be celebrated at various locations in Ahmedabad between Sept 7 and Nov 17.
Permissions for the installation of Ganesh idols will be granted by the local police stations, and separate permissions will be needed for the immersion procession. However, if the procession is to pass through more than one zone, special permission will have to be obtained from the Special Branch.
While this process is standard as per regulations, Ajaykumar Chaudhary, Joint Commissioner of Police (Special Branch), has specified that the organisers must submit the names of 15 to 20 influential people in their area along with the permission application at the local police station. This unusual decision by the police has left organisers in a dilemma.