Lalbaugcha Raja Evening Aarti

Lalbaugcha Raja Evening Aarti

Mandals use donation to help the needy

Last year, Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, the group that runs city's most visited Ganesh pandal, set up a dialysis centre. Shivshakti Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal in Kanjurmarg has dedicated the past decade to discourage the use of plastic bags. A Bhandup mandal sponsors the medical and educational needs of handicapped orphans. Many mandals are now using their influence to promote social and environmental causes. To name a few... l Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal: LRSGM is among the city's richest mandals. It has spent Rs3 crore to build a dialysis centre in Lower Parel. The municipal corporation gave land for it on lease. The mandal has appointed leading city nephrologists to manage the centre. Around 100 patients are already using the facility after paying a one-time registration fee of Rs100. Mandal president Ashok Pawar said that the group also spends Rs4.5 crore annually on medical aid for the poor. The mandal also runs the Sant Dyaneshwar Book Bank, a book lending facility with three air-conditioned reading rooms. It organises classes for students planning to appear for competitive exams, and has also started English-speaking and computer courses. Shivshakti Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, Kanjurmarg: It has used its influence and volunteers to make Premnagar, where the pandal is situated, plastic-free. It claims its programme has a success rate of 90%. Most of the money the mandal gets from donations is used to buy cloth bags that are distributed to families in the area. This year, it has distributed 3,000 cloth bags. "We have focussed our work on creating a plastic-free zone in our area. We also work with conservancy workers and educate them about environment care," said Sandeep Sarang, mandal's secretary. "Also, every year, we adopt a child from an economically backward family and take care of the child's education expenses." Vikas Mandal Sai Vihar Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, Bhandup: The 42-year-old mandal has its members largely from the slums where the mosquito menace is a perennial problem. It used its collections to buy a fogging machine. "We have also adopted two handicapped children from the Vatsalya Trust, and take care of their educational and medical expenses. Recently, we bought an electronic wheelchair worth Rs65,000 to donate to a handicapped person," said Amod Karnje, mandal's secretary. GSB Seva Mandal, Sion: Last year, from the Rs5.5 crore that it raised from donations, it gave away Rs3 crore to the needy. "Since Ganeshotsav is the only time when funds are raised, our charity depends on the donations," said Dinesh Pai, chief spokesperson for the mandal. The mandal gives aid to poor students, holds medical camps and provides help to the poor for major operations. "Last year, around Rs26 lakh was given to poor children as school fees," he said. The mandal has also bought a 10-acre plot in Mira-Bhayander area where it hopes to build a charitable educational institute in the next three years.