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Mumbai: Global envoys soak in sights and sounds of Ganeshotsav

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 In a unique initiative of the Maharashtra Tourism Ministry, a group of 10 envoys in Mumbai were taken on a tour of the Ganeshotsav festival currently in full swing in Maharashtra, officials said here on Friday.

Tourism Minister M.P. Lodha and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation Managing Director Jayshree Bhoj welcomed the diplomats, briefed them on the state’s biggest public festival and later took them around on an introductory trip to various prominent marquees.

The diplomats included Israel’s Kobbi Shoshani, Switzerland’s Martin Mayer, Argentina’s Guillermo Devoto, Belarus’ Anton Pashkov, Australia’s Peter Truswell, Poland’s Damian Irzyk, Sri Lanka’s V. Kumaran Valsan, Indonesia’s Agus Prihatin Saptono, Switzerland’s Martin Mayer and British Deputy High Commission’s Catherine Barnes.

Lodha welcomed them in traditional Indian style at the Ganesh Gully in Lalbaugh and introduced them to the glorious traditions of Maharashtra’s Ganeshotsav public festival, now in its 130th year.

“The aim is to make Ganeshotsav known to people all over the world through the diplomatic representatives and we hope that this cultural, social and religious festival will become internationally popular,” remarked Lodha.

The diplomats visited the gigantic idols of Lord Ganesh installed at Lalbaugh including the Lalbaugcha Raja, the country’s most expensive GSB Seva Mandal at Matunga, the oldest Keshavji Naik Chawl where the festival is celebrated since 1893, among others.

After the exhilarating trip viewing the sights, sounds, colours of Ganeshotsav, the massive crowds of devotees thronging many of the marquee, many of the envoys came away awed and impressed, lavished praises for the festivities and how it turned out to “a wonderful and enlightening experience”.

disaster

Mumbai’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Sudhakar Pathare, who was posted in the Port Zone, passed away in a road accident on Saturday.

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Pathare had visited Hyderabad for training. He was on his way to visit a temple with a relative when the accident occurred. Both Pathare and his relative lost their lives in the crash.

Mumbai Police have been informed about the incident.

More details are awaited.

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Maharashtra

Order to demolish the tomb of Hazrat Syed Bale Shah Baba in Mira Bhayander

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Mumbai: The state government has issued an order to demolish the four hundred year old dargah of Hazrat Syed Bale Shah Peer Rahmatullah Alaih located in Mira Bhayander. Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation has sent a letter to the collector declaring this dargah illegal and ordered action against it. As the dargah is located on forest land, communalists had started demanding the demolition of the dargah. In the House, Darranjan Daukhre had also demanded action against the dargah, after which now the state government has ordered to run a bulldozer on the dargah. An order has also been issued to remove and demolish the dargah by May.

Dargah trustee Amjad Sheikh said that this dargah is ancient and this order is illegal in itself. In this case, communal forces had launched a campaign against the dargah, after which this order was issued.

There is a dargah on the beach and citing the threat of terrorist and illegal activities and the presence of terrorists here, there was a demand to demolish the dargah. The dargah is close to the sea and in such a situation, the threat of a terrorist attack on Mumbai from the sea has been expressed, while the dargah administration has clearly denied this and said that communal organizations are running their agenda against the dargah and there is no such threat. Muslims have opposed this decision of the government and Muslims have also expressed their displeasure and anger over it.

The trustee says that this dargah is ancient and earlier the collector and the municipal corporation had given a notice, after which the illegal shed and other premises were demolished here and the dargah administration has taken this action at its own level. Now an order has been issued to demolish the dargah itself.

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Maharashtra

Haji Ali Dargah will be closed for pilgrims for a few hours on Eid due to rising sea level

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Mumbai: Due to rising sea level at Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, the dargah will be closed for pilgrims for a few hours on Eid. On March 31, the dargah will be closed for pilgrims from 12 noon to 3 pm. During this time, entry of pilgrims to the dargah will be restricted. The dargah will be closed on Tuesday, April 1 from 12:45 pm to 3:45 pm and on Wednesday, April 2 from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

Therefore, we have appealed to the pilgrims not to gather at the dargah during these hours. This information has been released by Tahir, administrative officer of Haji Ali Dargah. Pilgrims visit Haji Ali Dargah on Eid-Basi and Tiwasi, but due to the rising water level of the sea, water gets accumulated on the way to the Dargah and entry to the Dargah is prohibited and the gate of the Dargah remains closed during these days, due to which there is a lot of crowd there. Therefore, pilgrims have been requested to come to the Dargah only at the scheduled time.

The police also remains vigilant at the Dargah during the rising sea level, as there is a crowd of pilgrims here during Eid and festivals. The Haji Ali Dargah administration has said that on the occasion of Eid, lakhs of pilgrims visit the Dargah of Haji Ali (RahmatullahAlaih). These pilgrims include pilgrims from the country and abroad, so the Dargah administration has also claimed special security arrangements on Eid. Spiritual scenes are also seen at Haji Ali Dargah during Eid prayers.

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