Pune: Police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Saturday said the duration of the Ganapati immersion procession was not a concern, stressing that the priority was to ensure a safe and incident-free festival despite massive crowds.“For us, safe crowd management is more important than reducing the duration of the procession,” Kumar said, while addressing the media. He said effective crowd management, traffic regulation, women’s safety measures and the use of technology helped ensure the procession concluded without any untoward incidents.The CP said nearly six lakh citizens used Metro services to travel to the city’s old areas to witness the immersion procession, with police implementing multiple measures to manage the influx of devotees.On calls to shorten the procession, Kumar said, “Several attempts have been made in the past to shorten the procession. Rushing mandals through a large crowd, however, increases the risk of a stampede.”Regarding noise pollution, Kumar said compliance with prescribed noise limits improved this year compared to 2025. Action would, however, be taken against those violating the norms. “Action was taken against violators during the immersion procession,” he added.
