HYDERABAD: The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS) warned on Thursday that the Telangana government will be held accountable if there are any issues during the upcoming Ganesh idol immersions. The BGUS affirmed that immersions will occur on NTR Marg Road and Necklace Road by Hussainsagar on September 17.
The Samithi insisted that immersions in water bodies, including Hussainsagar, should proceed without restrictions or obstacles, as faced in 2022 and 2023.
BJP leader Kompella Madhavi Latha, the party’s candidate for the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 General Elections, cautioned that if devotees are prevented from immersing Ganesh idols in the water bodies, the idols may remain in the temporary pandals set up for the festivities, effectively becoming permanent temples. “We are eagerly anticipating the ninth-day immersions. This is not just an issue for the BGUS but for the court and the state government. They must facilitate the immersion of large idols in the designated ponds and tanks on the ninth and tenth days,” she stated during a press conference.
BGUS President G. Raghava Reddy and General Secretary B. Raja Vardhan Reddy emphasized that it is the responsibility of the state government to ensure all necessary arrangements for the immersion are in place.
Raghava Reddy noted that heavy vehicles carrying larger idols are being restricted from Tank Bund due to iron grills installed there. He pointed out that the Hyderabad city police and GHMC have put up notices declaring that immersion at Tank Bund is not permitted as per the high court's orders. However, he stressed that no hindrances should be imposed on immersions at NTR Marg and Necklace Road. He also suggested creating separate enclosures in water bodies for the immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols to mitigate pollution.
BRV Reddy mentioned that the high court issued guidelines in 2021 to control lake pollution, and BGUS has been promoting clay and eco-friendly idols as part of their responsibility. “The government has been working to implement these guidelines over the past two years. We urge the state government to permit immersions in Hussainsagar and other lakes. Transitioning from PoP to clay idols requires awareness and time to convince manufacturers and devotees, and cannot be done overnight,” he added.