Ganesh Chaturthi 2025: Check rules for Pandals in Visakhapatnam to follow

With Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations scheduled for 26 August 2025, the Visakhapatnam City Police has laid out detailed guidelines for Ganesh pandal organisers to ensure smooth conduct of the festivities. The directives were announced during a coordination meeting held with pandal committees.

Commissioner of Police Shankabrata Bagchi stressed that these are the guidelines to be followed:

• Pandals must not obstruct public movement and should be erected only on one side of the road to prevent traffic disruptions
• The use of DJ systems at pandals or during processions is strictly prohibited
• Organisers are required to install CCTV cameras with 24×7 recording and monitoring. Additionally, forced donations, lucky dips, and lotteries remain banned
• Idol immersions will be permitted solely at officially designated locations, and firecrackers are disallowed during immersion processions
• Loudspeakers and microphones must operate within the prescribed decibel limits and are not permitted between 10 pm and 6 am.
• Storing inflammable materials near pandals is forbidden, and organisers must keep water and sand readily available for fire safety
• A website for pandal organisers to apply for permissions will be launched soon

Safety arrangements outlined by the police include proper barricading, adequate lighting, public-address systems, backup power generators, orderly queue management, sufficient parking, and multiple entry and exit points at procession and immersion venues.

To promote environmental responsibility, organisers have been encouraged to opt for eco-friendly clay idols. Police personnel will also conduct awareness programmes in educational institutions to discourage the use of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols. Each pandal must maintain at least three volunteers on duty at all times, with their contact details shared with the local police station.

Meanwhile, an attractive idol being prepared in Visakhapatnam for Ganesh Chaturthi 2025 is the Sri Sundara Vastra Maha Ganesha, a majestic idol created entirely from one lakh (1,00,000) sarees, a first of its scale in the country.  In a parallel and equally remarkable effort, another organising committee led by Peerapu Kanaka Raju is crafting a pure silver Ganesh idol, which will be featured within a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD)-themed pavilion on the Beach Road.

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