Ganeshotsav 2025: Mumbai Still Has 616 Potholes Just 2 Days Before Ganpati Idol Immersion, Mandals Fear Hindrance

Mumbai: With just two days left for Anant Chaturdashi the final days of Ganesh idol immersion Mumbai still has 616 unrepaired potholes. On Thursday alone, 79 new potholes were detected and 105 reopened after citizen complaints. Sarvajanik (public) Ganeshotsav mandals fear that potholes may hinder the immersion process.

Heavy Rainfall Added to the Problem

Mumbai experienced heavy rainfall in August, causing a spike in potholes with over 5,000 reported in the month alone. Bad patches on the city roads have made commuting increasingly difficult during the ongoing Ganeshotsav festival, which began on August 27.

Due to urgent requests from Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav mandals, civic authorities have assured that all potholes will be filled before September 5, the festival’s final day, to ensure smooth and safe immersion of Ganesh idols.

Civic Body Promises Quick Action

“We have instructed ward-wise road engineers to maintain constant vigilance in their areas, identify potholes, and ensure they are filled before the final immersion day. With no heavy rainfall in the past two days, work has accelerated, and the number of potholes has steadily decreased. We will make sure the mandals do not face difficulties due to potholes along the immersion routes,” said a senior official from the road department.

Ganeshotsav Samiti Expresses Concerns

Girish Walwalkar, secretary of the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti (BSGSS), said, “We had alerted the civic body in advance to make proper arrangements for filling potholes, especially since they would be occupied with the Maratha quota protest led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil. However, our concerns were ignored. The civic teams were tied up over the past week, which affected pothole-filling work. With packed roads and heavy traffic, it’s difficult to carry out such repairs during the day. As a result, potholes still remain on several key immersion routes. We have advised our Ganeshotsav mandals to be cautious and ensure their processions avoid damaged stretches to protect the idols.”

BMC’s Real-Time Data on Potholes

According to real-time data available on the BMC's official website, the total number of potholes reported in Mumbai between June 04 and September 04 has reached 13,459. Out of these, 3,671 complaints were found to be unrelated to potholes.

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Ganeshotsav 2025: 1,015 Potholes Still Pending In Mumbai As BMC Misses 72-Hour Repair Deadline

As of Thursday evening, the BMC has filled 12,843 potholes, while 1,011 potholes are located on roads managed by other agencies and therefore fall outside the BMC’s jurisdiction.