Pune shops to remain shut on Sept 19 for Ganesh Visarjan, announces Ajit Pawar

In the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Maharashtra government has decided to keep all the shops in Pune closed on Sunday, 19 September 2021, on the occasion of the immersion of Ganesh idols, stated Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday, 17 September 2021. Restaurants and hotels will remain open, and vital services will be excused, said Pawar.

Pune shops to be shut on idol immersion

Pawar made the announcement during a news conference following the weekly COVID-19 review meeting saying, "On 19 Sept, on the occasion of Ganesh Visarjan, we have decided to keep all shops shut in Pune city, Pune cantonment and rural areas. Restaurants and hotels will remain open, essential services will be exempted."  

Every year, major processions are held in Pune to commemorate Ganesh Chaturthi, resulting in large crowds. Despite current limits and procedures in place across the state, the state administration has made this decision to avoid any such gatherings in light of COVID-19.

Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayak Chaturthi, is a ten-day celebration that began on September 10. The Ganesh idols are immersed on the last day of the festival, which this year is September 19. The Hindu celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi honours Lord Ganesha, the Lord of New Beginnings.

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations

The event began on 10 September 2021 and will last till 19 September 2021. Many devotees bring Lord Ganesha's statues home with unrivalled zeal. The first Ganesh Chaturthi celebration dates back to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja's era. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently shared a puja video to commemorate Day 5 of the auspicious holiday.

COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra

Meanwhile, according to the state health bulletin, Maharashtra reported 3,595 new COVID-19 cases, 3,240 recoveries, and 45 fatalities on Thursday. With this, the overall number of COVID-19 positive patients in the state has risen to 65,11,525. There are now 49,342 active cases in the state. In Maharashtra, total recoveries have reached 63,20,310. The total number of deaths in the state is 1,38,322. While the state's recovery rate is 97.06%, the case fatality rate in Maharashtra is 2.12%. In the state, as many as 2,89,425 persons are under home quarantine, while 1,908 are under institutional quarantine.

(With inputs from ANI)

Image: PTI/RepresentativeImage