Pune Ganeshotsav Committee Seeks Uniform Rules for All Mandals, Raises Concerns Over ‘Discrimination’

Pune, 28th August 2026: Pune’s historic Ganesh festival is gradually becoming concentrated around a few prominent mandals, while smaller mandals are allegedly facing unequal treatment, members of the Pune City Ganeshotsav Committee said on Thursday. The committee has demanded that the same rules be applied to all Ganesh mandals, irrespective of their size or status.

A meeting of the committee, chaired by the Khadak Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, was held on Thursday (August 27) at the Hinduhirdayasamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Cartoonist Art Gallery.

Members expressed concern that the festival, traditionally driven by ordinary volunteers, was increasingly being dominated by around 10 to 15 major mandals.

The committee also raised concerns over the implementation of assurances given by the police to ensure that Ganesh immersion processions conclude on time. Police had announced that senior officers would be deployed along Tilak Road and that mandals would be encouraged to keep moving instead of stopping at a single location. However, committee members alleged that these arrangements were not implemented effectively.

Members further alleged that mandals participating in processions on Laxmi Road and other routes were being treated differently. They said various groups had emerged among mandals over different demands and stressed the need for all mandals to come together and adopt a common approach to conducting the festival.

The issue of noise pollution was also discussed at length. Committee members said more than 300 Ganesh mandals were booked and issued notices for alleged noise pollution violations during the 2025 festival.

They questioned why strict action was being taken against mandals using DJs and sound systems while similar noise limits were allegedly not being enforced against dhol-tasha groups and other musical instruments.

The committee alleged that mandals were being selectively targeted for using sound systems, while rules governing dhol-tasha groups were not being enforced with the same strictness. Members said the fear of police action had also made people reluctant to take up positions as office-bearers of Ganesh mandals.

The committee demanded that noise pollution cases filed against Ganesh mandals be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. It also demanded that uniform rules governing noise levels and immersion processions be applied to all mandals, including the prominent Manache Ganpati mandals as well as smaller mandals.

The committee said it would soon meet Maharashtra Chief Minister through a delegation and submit a memorandum highlighting what it described as discrimination and administrative issues faced by Ganesh mandals.