Pune: As Ganapati celebrations wind down, a massive operation is getting underway across the city. Mandal organisers are racing to dismantle towering pandals, glittering facades, and intricate sets that took weeks, and sometimes months, to build.For many mandals, the teardown is almost as demanding as the setup itself. Teams of workers are busy stripping away bamboo and metal frameworks, electrical fittings, lighting systems and decorative backdrops, often working through the night to restore roads and public spaces to normalcy.“It takes almost a month to dismantle our entire structure. Most of the work happens at night. The biggest costs are labour and transportation, which are handled by the decorator,” Mahesh Suryavanshi, treasurer of Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati Trust, said.Organisers estimated that dismantling accounted for nearly 20-25% of the overall pandal cost, with larger mandals requiring multiple teams and several days to complete the process.But as the decorations come down, attention is also turning to what can be salvaged. At Kasba Ganapati Mandal, organisers are exploring ways to reuse materials and support other festivals. “We are discussing whether some material can be passed on to mandals for Dasara. Since our theme was environment-based, we used a lot of eco-friendly material and will also be donating the plants used in the pandal,” working president Nilesh Vakil said.At Guruji Talim Mandal, dismantling involves specialised teams handling everything from structural removal to electrical systems and the mandap itself. “It is not a one-day exercise. It can take up to a week to remove the entire structure,” Praveen Pardeshi from the mandal said.For decorators, the days immediately after visarjan are among the busiest of the year. Subhash Sarpale, who works with more than 20 mandals, said his crews would remain occupied for the next 7-10 days. “Around 70-80 workers are involved in dismantling, transporting, warehousing and scrapping material. Some décor has to be discarded, while reusable items are stored for future use,” he said.Powering the operation is a largely migrant workforce, with nearly 80% of labourers coming from Kolkata and neighbouring regions specifically for festival-related contracts. Moving from city to city as work demands, they spend long hours taking apart the grand spectacles that define Pune’s Ganeshotsav. “We are paid based on the number of days and hours worked. Vendors provide food and accommodation,” a worker from Kolkata said.
