Following strong reactions from the members of Ganesh Utsav committees on the ban of immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in lakes by the High Court, the Telangana government is now planning to request the High Court to permit immersion of PoP Ganesh idols in the city's iconic lake, Hussain Sagar. The state's animal husbandry and cinematography minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Sunday said the government will file a review petition in this matter.
Earlier, the order to ban the immersion of PoP idols was given by the High Court to prevent the pollution of the water body, and asked to conduct the immersions only in immersion ponds or separate water bodies that do not spread the pollution further. Speaking to the media, the minister said that more than 35,000 idols had already been installed all over the city by the time the High Court had issued a ban on immersion. Making alternative arrangements, like constructing ponds, at this late hour is not possible, he pointed out.
Regarding the review petition, Srinivas Yadav said that the state government will give the court an assurance to clear all the POP idols and debris from Hussainsagar, within 48 hours of the immersion. "The government is committed to safeguarding the lakes," the minister said.
As earlier reported by the TNM, after the High Court ban, concerns were raised by the Ganesh Utsav Committee that annually installs the tallest statue in Khairatabad against the order, which said that it ‘hurts' the religious sentiments of Hindus. The committee also added that there is no evidence that the immersion of idols has polluted the lake and further said that the industrial effluents from various parts of the city entering the lake are polluting the water body over the years. This year, the committee has come up with a 40 feet statue in Khairatabad for Ganesh Chaturthi.