Mumbai: As the city readies itself for the grand celebration of Ganeshotsav, the Mumbai Police has kicked off its security preparations with a high-level meeting. Held on Wednesday, the meeting included representatives from the Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samiti and another major mandal body, along with top police officials.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti chaired the meeting, accompanied by Joint Commissioner of Intelligence Arti Singh, Joint Commissioner of Law and Order Satyanarayan Chaudhary, Additional CP Special Branch Dhananjay Kulkarni, and several other senior officers.

In addition, Today Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti also held a city-wide crime conference with all DCPs, ACPs, Senior Police Inspectors, Additional CPs, and Zonal Commissioners. He emphasized that during the festive season, police presence must be strongly visible on the streets. He urged officers to maintain a firm stance while also treating citizens with courtesy and listening to their concerns. He also instructed all units to stay alert throughout the celebrations.

Key security directives were laid out like Every mandal must install CCTV cameras and hire security guards. Special attention must be paid to the safety of women. The visarjan (immersion) routes will be fixed and must be strictly followed. Procession organizers were urged to ensure pre-emptive measures to avoid accidents.

Mumbai Police has also warned that during the visarjan day, sea levels are expected to rise up to 4.5 meters. As a result, extra caution will be maintained along beaches and additional police forces will be deployed if necessary.

To manage crowd and traffic like Mandals have been advised to deploy trained volunteers. Medical help centers should be set up in high-footfall areas. Both mandal committees assured their full cooperation with law enforcement and pledged to follow all safety regulations. Commissioner Deven Bharti stated that this year’s Ganeshotsav will be safe, organized, and peaceful—with police and Ganesh mandals working hand in hand as one team.