There was a time when the elephant god of all sizes and colours were usually taken to the Tank Bund and that too on the eleventh day. Over the years, Ganesh immersion in the city has undergone a sea change with new rules and regulations put in place by the police to make it a smooth affair.
This year, around 10,000 more idols have been added in and around the city when compared to the previous year, bringing the total to around one lakh. However, the pandal organisers as well as Ganesh Utsav Committee members are not too happy with the changes and the restrictions.
The foremost among them is the ‘interference’ of the local police in deciding the immersion date. To avoid crowding, a phase-wise immersion is undertaken for the local area idols. Next seems to be the administration’s efforts to immerse idols in various designated local water bodies in and around the city.
“We have told all the organisers and devotees to only immerse on the auspicious eleventh day from the festival date,” said Bhagvanth Rao, general secretary, Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi. “Whenever complaints are brought to our notice regarding police pressure in deciding immersion date, we are immediately intervening. We are also encouraging the devotees to immerse only in Tank Bund which has been the culture. The government should see to that necessary arrangements are made,” Dr. Rao said.
