He said the final dates will be announced later. Many social organisations had announced earlier that they would keep the Ganesh celebrations low-key. There were also demands that there should be a re-think on the celebrations in the wake of the spread of disease. Many activists had even written to him in this regard.

"Considering the H1N1 virus spread in the city, it will be in the interest of the city and citizens that the organising committee cancel the festival. Thousands of people from India and abroad throng for the festival and it will add to the ongoing problems," activists Vivek Velankar, Vijay Kumbhar and Mangesh Tendulkar said in a letter to Kalmadi.

On Thursday, Kalmadi had visited the Naidu and Aundh hospitals and had declared that he would allocate Rs 25 lakh from the MP quota to meet the shortage of masks in the city.

He, however, said the government machinery is geared up to tackle the situation and there was no cause for panic.