The Maharashtra tourism department has organized guided tours of popular pandals for people over 60 years of age in four major cities, including Mumbai, during the ongoing Ganesh festival.
Maharashtra Tourism, along with the municipal corporations of Mumbai, Thane, Pune and Nagpur, has organized guided tours of Ganesh pandals (temporary structures housing idols of the deity) for senior citizens on September 2, 5, and 7, according to a statement.
Till now, a total of 1,600 senior citizens have registered themselves for Ganesh pandal tours in these four cities.
"We have coordinated with traffic, police, and other government departments for smooth operations of all our tours, especially the one for senior citizens. This is the first time that we have arranged a tour for senior citizens during Ganeshotsav. I am glad that they are enjoying this experience as we have been receiving tremendous appreciation from them,” Maharashtra Tourism Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said.
The Maharashtra tourism department is also offering guided tours of Ganpati pandals for travelers around Mumbai and Pune till September 9.
The tour cost in Mumbai will be Rs 850 each for Indians and Rs 1,600 for foreigners, whereas the tour in Pune is priced at Rs 350 and Rs 550 for Indians and foreigners, respectively. The tours will take place from 9 am to 2 pm.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to reach out to maximum people and appeal to them to take an experience of visiting the Ganpati pandals of Mumbai and Pune. We have deployed certified tour guides to give them the best possible experience by sharing all the information about the pandals,” DoT (Department of Tourism) Director Milind Borikar added.
(Inputs from PTI)
