The Maharashtra government has decided not to impose any restrictions on the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations starting August 31. It has also removed the height restriction on idols and allowed processions.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on July 21 announced that the restrictions imposed on festivals during the coronavirus pandemic have been lifted and there would no curbs on the upcoming Dahi Handi, Ganeshotsav, and other religious events.
After the pandemic broke out in March 2020, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which was then led by Uddhav Thackeray, had imposed several restrictions on festivals, including ban on processions during the Ganeshotsav. There were also curbs on the height of the Lord Ganesha idols installed by sarvajanik (community) mandals and as well as the household-level.
Due to these factors and the prevalence of infection, the Ganesh festival and other religious events had mostly remained low-key in the last two years.
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