Sabarmati river preferred over AMC ponds for immersion

The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation may have had grand eco-friendly plans for Ganesh visarjan. Ahead of Ganesh visarjan, the civic body set up artificial ponds at the riverfront for immersion of the idols. But, while the civic body may propose, and even make arrangements to that effect, devotees will otherwise.

The move to set up artificial ponds was to prevent pollution of the river. Unfortunately for it, devotees seem least interested in taking this green route. Ever since visarjan started, many of the devotees are seen immersing the idols in the river. The stench in the ponds is being cited as the reason for such an act.

It can be recalled that a notification by the police commissioner of Ahmedabad had banned production and sale plaster of Paris (PoP) idols as well as their immersion in natural water bodies.

After a stay on it, the civic body and police department came up with the idea of providing artificial ponds for immersing ganesh idols.  

On Tuesday, the seventh day of Ganesh festival, devotees were seen ignoring the artificial ponds and moving towards Sabarmati with their idols. The accompanying dhol beats and shouts provided a contrast to the helplessness of police officials who could do little but watch the processions.

A resident of Ellisbridge requesting anonymity said, “All I could find in artificial pond were coconuts, flowers and other puja material, which have been lying there for the past few days. As a result, the ponds stink.”

When questioned, one of the devotees who chose to immerse idols in the river, said, “The artificial tank is stinking with stagnant water, rotten flowers and coconuts. How can I immerse the Lord’s idol in such water?”

He further said that till the pond was cleaned and filled up with fresh water, no devotee would immerse idols there.

Reacting to this, municipal commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra said that there was no mechanism to ensure that people immerse the idols in artificial ponds and not in the river.

“We have been informing devotees through different mediums about artificial ponds. Beyond that, there is little we can do. However, I have asked police commissioner SK Saikia to arrange for better management on the tenth day of the festival.”