Organisers clear drains, fix slushy festival grounds for visitors

NAVI MUMBAI: Organizers of Durga puja and Navratri festivals in Navi Mumbai have made special arrangements to avoid water-logging and slushy pandal grounds by using sand and paver blocks to level the area.
Continuous rainfall is playing spoilsport and most festive mandals have been spending more from the festive funds to ensure visitors and devotees are not inconvenienced.
“We provided paver blocks from the entry gate to the mandap and to the cultural mandap to ensure that devotees have no problem moving around. The stalls have also been provided with sawdust to ensure that they remain dry,” said Gautam Chakraborty of Seawoods Cultural Welfare Association.
He added that they have also made temporary drainage arrangements and cleared the choking main drain to avoid any waterlogging.
Dandiya organizers, too, have not lagged behind. “There might be a slight dip in footfalls due to the rainfall. But people are still visiting the pandals to play dandiya. We are putting sand on the ground to ensure the comfort of the dancers,” said Rucha Patil, a corporator from Sanpada, who also organises Navratri festivals.