Mumbai: Amidst the glittering decoration and rows of fairy lights, Mumbai gets ready to chant ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ and mark the start of the annual Ganesh festival that begins Friday.

Over the next few days, nearly 10 million people will pour on to Mumbai’s roads for ‘darshan’, including lakhs of domestic and foreign tourists arriving to savour Ganeshotsav.

At least 200 ‘mega-crowd’ spots — like the Lalbaugcha Raja where around 1.25 million devotees are expected round-the-clock — and some others like the GSB Seva Mandal’s 70-kg five-feet tall gold idol in Sion, Khetwadi 12th Lane, Ganesh Gully, Fort Vibhag, will remain on the radar of the security agencies.

But a fact that many don’t know is that the Ganeshotsav festival is also a bumper season for the insurance sector, especially in Mumbai.

A Business Standard report says that last year Ganesh puja organisers had taken an insurance coverage worth Rs 375 crore. This cover insures the idol, pandal, jewellery, personal accident to devotees.

The popular Ganesh pandal – Lalbaugcha Raja in Lalbaug, has insured for Rs 51 crore by New India Assurance, the cover includes Rs 3.5 crore for the pandal, Rs 10 crore for risks which include food poisoning from prasad, a Rs 7.5 crore cover to insure the idol’s jewellery and Rs 30 crore cover that insures security officials, volunteers and local residents.

The GSB Seva Mandal Ganapati pandal in King’s Circle has outmatched the Lalbaugcha Raja taking an insurance coverage of Rs 258.9 crore from a nationalised general insurer, according to the Business Standard report.

Satish Nayak, committee member of the GSB Seva Mandal told The Hindu: ‘This year, we have gone for a larger cover as we have taken it for a one kilometre radius from the pandal. This includes cover for all devotees and the deity’s ornaments against terror attacks, accidents, flooding or external damage.’

The Ganesh idol at GSB Seva Mandal Ganapati pandal is decked with at least 50 kg of gold.

The largest component of the insurance cover is Rs 22 crore cover for 80 kg of gold and 450 kg of silver.

As in the past, the Mumbai Police will be on 24-hour duty with the support of other state security agencies, supplemented by the private security arrangements at various mandals, modern gadgets and dog squads, random checks and an army of over 200,000 volunteers, during the next 11 days, Dahibhavkar said.

This year, a vast majority of the big mandals have restricted the height of Ganesh idols to 18 feet, down from 32-feet in the past.

“Around a handful of them are still large, upto 25 feet or so, we shall try to convince them to adhere to the standard norms in overall public interest,” Dahibhavkar explained.

Star power will also be at play during the Ganeshotsav with celebrations at the homes of Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Govinda, Jeetendra, Nana Patekar, the Kapoor clan of Shashi, Randhir and Rishi, Sachin Pilgaonkar, industrialists, politicians and other celebrities worshipping at home.

Many celebrities will also make ‘guest appearances’ at various marquees to enliven the celebrations.