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The temple located in Prabhadevi area of south Mumbai is a popular religious site that attracts a large number of devotees
Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir Trust's chairman Sada Sarvankar said thousands of people visit the temple everyday and it is on the hit list of terrorists
"We get many advisories from the government as well as the police. Of the safety measures, they said the coconuts that are offered to Lord Ganesh are not detected during security screening and this could lead to danger. The prasad could be poisoned. To avoid this, we will not allow garlands and coconut to be offered to the deity for the time being," he said
The measure, he said, is a temporary one considering the hostilities between India and Pakistan
Sarvankar said the temple trust spoke to flower vendors outside the temple who requested to start the initiative from May 11 so that they can finish their existing stock
The former Shiv Sena MLA also said the temple trust is also trying to see if it can make available flowers and 'durva' grass, believed to be the favourite of Lord Ganesha, for devotees so that they can offer it to the deity
He said in an enhanced security measure, the trust will also recruit 20 retired armed forces personnel and they will be armed
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