Hyderabad: A bench of the Telangana High Court on Monday refused to grant permission for immersion of Lord Ganesh idols made of Plaster of Paris (POP) in Hussain Sagar lake.
The court, comprising chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice NV Shravan Kumar, also ordered Hyderabad police commissioner CV Anand and civic authorities to ensure no POP idol is immersed in the water body.
The orders came during hearing of a petition filed by Telangana Ganesh Murti Kalakaar Welfare Association, which challenged the guidelines of the Pollution Control Board (PCB) for a complete ban on the Ganesh idols made of plaster of Paris.
The court also directed the government, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and the police to strictly follow its orders and take other necessary steps to check the pollution in the water body in the heart of the city.
Chief Justice Alok Aradhe questioned the actions of the GHMC and police, citing press reports concerning the immersion of POP idols in Hussain Sagar lake. Additionally, the CJ ordered an explanation for ignoring the court’s directives.
Notably, the court did not put any restrictions on local sculptors’ to carve or sell Ganesh statues made of POP. Instead, it directed the State authorities to forbid the immersion of such idols in Hussain Sagar or any other lake to protect the environment.
Additionally, the court bemoaned the government’s failure to remove the trash from the water body. The GHMC is responsible for emptying the tank of the waste generated by the immersion, according to special government pleader Harender Prasad.
However, in its interim order, the bench unambiguously ordered that POP idols cannot be immersed in the Hussain Sagar Lake and they shall in accordance with the directions of the court be immersed only in the baby ponds constructed or allotted for the purpose. Posting the case after three weeks the bench directed the government to file a status report.
On September 9, 2021, the court headed by then chief justice MS Ramachandra Rao and justice T Vinod Kumar, forbade immersion of PoP idols in the Hussain Sagar. The court also imposed certain restrictions on immersion and asked authorities to build a rubber dam to confine it to a limited area such as PV Marg, Necklace Road and Sanjeevaiah Park road and after the immersion, the debris should be cleared.
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