BBMP breathes easy as citizens follow Ganesh Chaturthi curbs

A man brings a Ganesha idol to Halasuru Lake, Bengaluru, unaware of a ban on immersions in the waterbody, on Sunday. DH PHOTO/RANJU P

Many people immersed their private Ganesha idols at home. DH PHOTO/B H SHIVAKUMAR

The BBMP's decision to allow only one public installation of Ganesh idol per ward in the wake of the novel coronavirus seems to have paid off with officials claiming there were no violations.

The city usually sees nearly three lakh public immersions of Ganesh idols during the three days of the festival. This figure dropped to a meagre 198 this year, in line with the number of BBMP wards. There were also a few thousand private immersions of Ganesh idols.

Last year, devotees had immersed a total of 2.88 lakh Ganesh idols in artificial tanks as well as mobile tanks arranged by the BBMP in its eight zones. Another 12,000 Ganesh idols were immersed in Kalyanis (temple tanks) set up near the lakes. The BBMP's eastern divisoin had reported the most public immersions.

Covid-19 changed it all this year.

The civic body not only capped public immersions per ward but also ordered that Ganesh idols installed in private homes must not be immersed in public. However, people who faced difficulties in doing so were asked to bring the idols to lakes, such as Sankey Tank and Halasuru Lake, where the BBMP had set up mobile tanks. They were asked to hand over the idols to BBMP staff who then immersed them in the mobile tanks.

The curbs on public installations of Ganesh idols reduced noise pollution as most people chose to visit temples to say quiet prayers.