BMC eco-friendly immersion does not hold water

The municipal corporation’s tall claims of encouraging an eco-friendly immersion has fallen flat. An Andheri-based mandal stumbled upon a new rule while seeking Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s permission to use its artificial ponds for immersion.

Even though it is appealing mandals to immerse Ganesh idols in its artificial ponds, it has denied permission to Kranti Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav of Koldongri to use its water body.

The BMC has built 22 artificial ponds for immersion.
The mandal had performed visarjan in the BMC’s artificial pond last year and this year too it wants to use it.

Abhishek Vyas, spokesperson of the mandal, said the 21-feet idol is made of clay and the colours are not harmful. “We did not get permission to immerse the idol in the artificial pond because of its height. Without the trolley, the idol’s height is 19 feet,” added Vyas.
Last year, the mandal got permission although the idol’s height was 25 feet. Vyas said that though the idol is big, it requires only seven- to eight-feet deep pond for immersion.

The BMC’s artificial pond is about 10-feet deep and 15-20 feet wide, he added. “We are against immersing the idol at sea as it harms the ecology,” Vyas added.

The BMC said that two months ago it had decided to restrict the height of the idols to 4 ft to be allowed to be immersed in artificial ponds. But, mandal activists said they were unaware of the new rule.

Deputy municipal commissioner Kishor Kshirsagar suggested the mandal to immerse the idol in  the sea. “It is impossible to immerse such a big idol in an artificial pond,” he said.

He was unable to explain why the mandal was allowed to use the pond for visarjan last year. He doubted whether such a big idol is eco-friendly. “Besides, it is also not possible to create artificial ponds for immersing big idols,” he added.

The Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samnvay Samiti, an umbrella body of the city’s major and small mandals, questioned the BMC’s stand. “The civic body will allow immersion of only 4-feet idols in artificial ponds. Then why did it allow immersion of the mandal’s big idol last year? The BMC should build artificial ponds to immerse big idols,” said Naresh Dahibawkar, chief of the samiti.