{
  "id": 18491009,
  "title": "FPJ Eco Ganesha Mayor’s Awards 2026: Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde Praises Eco-Friendly Ganeshotsav, Highlights BMC’s Sustainable Immersion & Flower Recycling Initiatives",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/fpj-eco-ganesha-mayors-awards-2026-mumbai-mayor-ritu-tawde-praises",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-06T11:02:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/fpj-eco-ganesha-mayors-awards-2026-mumbai-mayor-ritu-tawde-praises-eco-friendly-ganeshotsav-highlights-bmcs-sustainable-immersion-flower-recycling-initiatives"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde honored the winner of the 7th FPJ Eco Ganesha Mayor’s Award on Friday evening. The award, chosen by Tawde herself, was presented to Vishal Ganesh Kondvilkar and his family. In her address to an environmentally-conscious audience, Tawde stressed that devotion transcends the boundaries of festival days, emphasizing a lifelong commitment to preserving nature. The mayor commended the city's increasing eco-consciousness, describing true worship as a lifelong dedication to safeguarding the environment. She said, \"This gathering is not merely a formal event, but a heartfelt expression of gratitude toward the faith and environmental awareness of Mumbaikars.\" Tawde praised the FPJ for utilizing media and traditional festival practices to unite citizens for a noble cause. She highlighted the Bombay Municipal Corporation's (BMC) efforts in organizing eco-friendly immersions during this year's Ganesh Chaturthi, noting that the civic body had established over 385 artificial ponds across the city, enabling the immersion of more than 1.82 lakh household idols. She also mentioned that the BMC had distributed 980 metric tonnes of natural clay and 25,400 liters of non-toxic paint to idol makers to hasten the transition away from Plaster of Paris (PoP). The mayor drew enthusiastic applause when she announced that over 934 metric tonnes of floral offerings, collected at immersion sites, were being transformed into organic fertilizer for public parks in Mumbai, ensuring that the flowers that adorned the deity now contribute to the city's gardens. Tawde assured that future civic policies would aim to reduce the cost of clay idols, making them accessible to every household. She praised the success of the 'Ek Bappa, Ek Jhaad' (One Idol, One Tree) initiative, describing it as an investment in the city's green cover. \"When a sapling is planted using the water from an immersed idol, Bappa stays right at home with us in the form of a living plant,\" she said.",
  "summary": "Mumbai: Mumbai mayor Ritu Tawde graced the 7th FPJ Eco Ganesha Mayor’s Award as the chief guest on Friday. She personally handed over the Mayor’s Choice award, which was chosen by her, to Vishal Ganesh Kondvilkar and family. The Mayor delivered an inspiring address to a packed audience of green champions, emphasising that the essence of devotion extends far beyond festival days. She thanked the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}