Maharashtra decides Ganpati idols must not rise over 4 feet

MUMBAI: The state government on Friday issued directives for the upcoming Ganpati festival and capped the moorti height at 4 feet.
CM Uddhav Thackeray had appealed to Ganpati mandals to scale down the festival to avoid crowding amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
Officials said the height of the idol has been reduced to avoid the need to have a large number of people to bring the idol from the workshop and during visarjan.They said that detailed guidelines regarding darshan and visarjan would be issued.
Thackeray had held two meetings on the issue. He said there should be no crowding or processions. "The height of the moorti is not important, it is the devotion that is important," he said.
The moortikar community seemed relieved that a decision had arrived finally.
"Now we are free to work. We are with government and we respect the decision of the CM," Reshma Khatu, who runs the largest workshop of Ganpati idols in the city, said. Khatu's idols, and some others in the Lalbaug-Parel workshops, average 15-25 ft.
Balasaheb Kamble, president of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganeshotsav Mandal, said: "We are yet to get a copy of the GR and will discuss it at our committee meeting on Tuesday and then issue a response."