The metropolis on Sunday reverberated to loud but rhythmic drum beats and chants of "Ganpati bappa morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya" (Hail lord Ganesh, do come back early next year), as lakhs of enthusiastic Mumbaikars joined most colourful Ganpati idol immersion processions, to bid an emotional goodbye to the elephant-headed God after the 10-day-long festivities.
The island city and its suburbs came under thick security blanket, as the processions of major Sarvajanik Ganesh idols -- including Mumbai's prestigious lalbaugcha Raja Ganapati idol -- wended their way through their crowded designated route -- beginning from Parel and passing through Sane Guruji Marg, NM Joshi Marg and SVP road -- to the Girgaum Chowpatty in south Mumbai, amid tight security arrangements and surveillance of the new acquired CCTV cameras.
In an effort to ensure safe passage of the Ganpatu immersion procession, the Mumbai police had for the first time installed as many as 103 newly-installed CCTV cameras along the designated route in south Mumbai. The new CCTC cameras -- which are part of the 5,600-odd CCTVs being acquired and installed at strategic places across the metropolis in three phases, as part of the security beef-up project undertaken in the wake of 26/11 attacks on Mumbai - are in addition to 218 existing CCTV cameras.
like every year, there was a maximum turn out of people at the Girgaum Choupatty in south Mumbai, where estimated 13,000 sarvajnik and domestic idols were expected to be immersed till the early hours of Mumbai.
The Ganpati idols immersed at the Girgaum Choupatty were in addition to 5,000-odd Sarvajinik idols and 15,000-odd domestic idols of the elephant-headed God were immersed at 72 designated water fronts, including beaches and lakes and 27 eco-friendly artificial lakes created by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation ( BMC).