Alarmed by bad reports and complaints from Bengalureans over immersed idols remaining in the Ulsoor Lake tank days after immersion, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) commissioner BH Anil Kumar came down heavily on concerned officials.
He told officers to be proactive and sensitive towards the city’s demands and warned that he will not tolerate any bad press the BBMP gets due to their inaction.
“I have always been saying that our officers need to be sensitive and proactive. If not, they can take retirement and sit at home,” he said in a message to civic officials.
From Friday, many people complained that idols were not being removed even after the last date of immersion had passed. October 5 was the last date of immersion.
Speaking to TNM, East Zone Chief Engineer Maradi Rangappa said, “We will clear out the idols soon. Some idols were immersed even on Friday. However, some residents are complaining that Ganesha idols are also lying from September, that is not true.”
On Saturday, the BBMP Commissioner tweeted a video showing that cranes were at work lifting the immersed idols after dewatering of the tank was complete.
Cleaning work in progress at the Ganesha immersion tank in Ulsoor lake.
— B.H.Anil Kumar,IAS (@BBMPCOMM) October 12, 2019
ಹಲಸೂರು ಕೆರೆ ಕಲ್ಯಾಣಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಸರ್ಜಿಸಿದ್ದ ಮೂರ್ತಿಗಳ ಅವಶೇಷಗಳನ್ನು ಇಂದು ತೆರವುಗೊಳಿಸಲಾಯಿತು.#BBMP #BBMPCOMM #Bengaluru @CMofKarnataka @csogok @BBMP_MAYOR @KarnatakaVarthe pic.twitter.com/96HhQT4I1m
Last week, The New Indian Express reported that Ganesha idols which were immersed mid-September were yet to be removed.
“Last year, after the festival, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had cleaned the kalyani (tank) in a week's time after immersions stopped. But it has been more than 15 days since the last immersion, and no one has come to clean the tank,” Poonish Mehra, a resident had told TNIE.