Shillong, September 26: In Hyderabad, a group of Ganesh pandal organizers staged a protest when local authorities, in compliance with the Telangana High Court’s orders, prevented the immersion of Ganesh idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) in Hussain Sagar lake.
As per IANS, late on Monday night, protesters held a sit-in on Tank Bund road, causing a traffic jam on the vital route connecting Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Supported by some organizers, the protesters objected to the authorities’ actions, alleging obstruction in the immersion process.
The organizers called for the state government’s intervention, urging them to approach the High Court to ensure that idols could be immersed in Hussain Sagar as usual.
This sudden protest led to tension in the area, prompting the police to detain the protesters and clear the road for traffic.
The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samiti had also attempted a similar protest last year, opposing what they considered restrictions on Ganesh idol immersion in Hussain Sagar. The Samiti, responsible for organizing the annual festivities, demanded that the government permit immersion without constraints, as in previous years.
The nine-day Ganesh festival will conclude on September 28 with a grand immersion procession. Thousands of idols from Hyderabad, Secunderabad, the outskirts, and other parts of the twin cities are traditionally brought to Hussain Sagar for immersion.
Both the High Court and the Supreme Court have issued orders prohibiting the immersion of PoP idols in Hussain Sagar and other lakes. Such idols are required to be immersed in specially designated baby/artificial ponds.
In response to this, authorities have constructed 50 additional ponds, supplementing the existing 25, for idol immersion. However, the Samiti has dismissed these artificial ponds as contrary to ‘Hindu Dharma,’ insisting that idols should be immersed only in natural water sources as per tradition.
On Monday, the High Court directed the state government to ensure that PoP idols are only immersed in the baby ponds created by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), with a compliance report due within three weeks.
This move follows a 2021 High Court order related to a 2014 contempt of court petition. The state government, in its appeal to the Supreme Court, had pledged not to permit the immersion of PoP Ganesh idols in Hussain Sagar in the future.
In a bid to promote eco-friendly celebrations, the GHMC and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) are distributing 5 lakh clay idols free of charge.