It’s a farewell to queues and hydraulic cranes at Palavakkam beach where Vinayaka idols used to be immersed in ways that caused pollution and endangered the breeding grounds of the Olive Ridley turtles.
The National Green Tribunal had banned the dumping of debris and issued various guidelines on idol immersion to reduce the stress on the coast. Subsequently, the City Police went to a cinema equipment company and got a film-shooting trolley to move the idols safely and quickly so that they could be immersed in the sea.
In the past, the vehicles carrying the idols had to wait in queue for more than an hour and tense moments prevailed among organisers and police personnel.
Some of the idols would be damaged and the coast came under severe stress each year.
Now, everything is done in a matter of minutes. And the devotees who bring in the huge idols can also leave quickly.
S. Pandian, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Neelankarai told The Hindu , “As and when the idols come, we immediately put them on the trolley and it is pushed into the sea within minutes.”
An elevated double track on the shore running to a length of 150 feet is being used for the purpose. In the next three days, over 1,000 idols will be immersed.
“The new trolley system has been introduced to prevent the deterioration of areas on the seashore where Olive Ridley turtles nest” the police officer said.
