Out of pandal in 11 seconds

As a precautionary measure against the planting of a bomb in a coconut, Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati will have conveyer belt to move the traditional offerings made by devotees out of the pandal as fast as possible

As a precautionary measure against the planting of a bomb in a coconut, Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati will have conveyer belt to move the traditional offerings made by devotees out of the pandal as fast as possible
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The richest Ganapati mandal in the city is leaving no stone unturned to ensure maximum security for its devotees.

Organisers of the festival at Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati will ensure the coconuts offered to the deity are moved out of the pandal in just 11 seconds on a conveyor belt.

This way they hope to avert disaster if bombs are planted in coconuts.u00a0

Of the Rs 31.50 crore income, Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Mandal is spending a sizeable sum on security of the devotees visiting every year in several lakhs.


Engineer Makarand Savgaonkar with his innovation, the coconut conveyer belt for Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati. PIC/ VIVEK SABNIS

The hi-tech coconut conveyer belt has been made by Makarand Savgaonkar, a city-based engineer, for speedy disposal of the coconuts far away from the pandal.

"The belt was made so that people do not panic if there is a bomb inside a coconut. The belt will carry each coconut offered out of the pandal in 11.8 seconds," Savgaonkar said. "We are trying to speed it up further for the sake of security."

A bagging cone will be placed at the end of the 50-feet-long belt to fill the coconuts in a jute bag for faster disposal.

"Next year we will prepare a portable coconut conveyer so that the coconuts can be directly carried to the tempo parked outside," Savgaonkar said.

He came up with the conveyer belt when a Dagdusheth Ganesh devotee wanted to offer 11,000 coconuts at a time.

Ashok Godse, president, Dagdusheth Halwai Sarvajanik Ganapti Trust (DHSGT), said: "By the grace of God no untoward incidents have taken place in the past.

There is always a terror or bomb threat. To ensure safety, we have already taken insurance to cover at least 15,000 devotees if a bomb explodes in the area. Rs 50 crore have been set aside for the purpose."

Mahesh Pardeshi, treasurer of DHSGT, said: "To ensure safety, we are deputing 270 private and police security guards inside and outside the 5,000 square-feet pandal.

All the latest electronic gadgets will be used to safeguard against bomb threats inside and the adjoining areas of the pandal," he said.

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