Pune: ‘We’re Not Second-Class Mandals’ – Tilak Road Ganesh Mandals Demand Fair Treatment

Pune, 6th July 2025: With Ganeshotsav just weeks away, mandals participating in the immersion procession on Tilak Road have come together to jointly plan and streamline the event. The initiative aims to reduce the delays and chaos often associated with the Ganesh Visarjan procession in central Pune. 

The Ganesh Visarjan in Pune is known for its vibrant and grand scale. Traditionally, the immersion processions begin from five major routes: Lakshmi Road, Tilak Road, Kumthekar Road, Kelkar Road, and Karve Road. The main procession starts from Lakshmi Road, where most central Pune mandals participate, while mandals from areas like Swargate, Bibvewadi, Sahakarnagar, Parvati, and Dhankawadi generally proceed via Tilak Road.

Previously, all mandals moved along a single route, which often led to long delays. Since 1991, some mandals have shifted to Tilak Road to ease congestion. However, over the past few years, these mandals have faced poor administrative coordination and inadequate police arrangements, causing significant delays in the immersion schedule.

To address these persistent issues, mandals using the Tilak Road route have now formed a planning committee to coordinate better with civic and police authorities. They have also placed four key demands before the administration:

1. Deployment of a Senior Officer at Puram Chowk: Currently, a lack of senior police presence at Puram Chowk creates confusion, as senior officials are stationed at Alka Chowk. Mandals are demanding the appointment of a full-time senior officer specifically at Puram Chowk for timely decision-making.
2. Better Facilities on Tilak Road: While the Pune Municipal Corporation provides amenities and a grand welcome to mandals on Lakshmi Road, similar facilities are missing on Tilak Road. The committee has requested the setup of temporary clean restrooms and other basic amenities on this route.
3. Equal Civic Attention: The groups allege that they are often neglected compared to those on Lakshmi Road. They are seeking equal treatment in terms of infrastructure, support, and coordination.
4. Withdrawal of Police Cases: The mandals have also demanded that pending police cases against their office-bearers be withdrawn, calling them unjustified and detrimental to the festive spirit.

Amit Bagul, a representative of the planning committee, introduced the agenda of the meeting, which was moderated by Pushkar Tuljapurkar and concluded with a vote of thanks by Hrishikesh Bhujbal. Other notable participants included Ganesh Ghosh, Sagar Bagul, Sudhir Dhamale, Umesh Vaidya, Shirish Mohite, Uday Jagtap, Vaibhav Wagh, and Prashant Thopte, all of whom echoed the need for better planning and timely execution of the immersion procession.

With this collective effort, the mandals hope to restore order and discipline to the Tilak Road immersion route and ensure that the celebration of Ganeshotsav proceeds smoothly and respectfully.