The city’s immersion procession stretched for 18 hours before drawing to a close at 3am on Saturday. Kolhapur : Dhols rolled, chants of Ganapati Bappa Morya filled the streets and illuminated processions moved through packed roads as Kolhapur gave Bappa a grand farewell.
This is the contribution of the district administration, police, fire department and everyone who worked tirelessly for the procession over the past week,” KMC commissioner Dr Rajendra Bharud said. Through the day, traditional dhol troupes took centre stage. Women and children turned out in large numbers. Mandals carried messages on educating girls, planting trees, protecting rivers, saving Marathi and reducing mobile phone use. After dark, sound systems and dazzling lights took over the route. As the procession stretched beyond midnight, police used mild force to keep mandals moving and disperse crowds. The road remained closed for nearly two hours as police and fire brigade personnel controlled the crowd and the damaged idol was taken for immersion. “The public Ganesh immersion procession was planned, disciplined and peaceful.