Immersing idols in Ganga can cost you Rs 50,000: Report

As a step to control the pollution of river Ganga, the Centre has imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 along with the closing off of ghats in a 15-point directive issued to to chief secretaries in 11 Ganga basin states.

"No idol immersion into river Ganga and its tributaries and on their banks,” says the directive issued by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), under Section 5 of The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Indian Express reported.

“If any person violates above directions, then Rs 50,000 as environment compensation should be levied, collected and deposited with State Pollution Control Boards,” the directive states.

The norms against the immersion of idols and disposal of puja material in the Ganga and its tributaries were told to be strictly implemented, and the officials were asked to make suitable alternative arrangements in an environmental-friendly manner, the report said.

The directive was sent to Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Rajasthan among other states.

“River Bank and Ghats should be Rs 50,000 fine for idol immersion in Ganga, tributaries: Centre to states cordoned off and barricaded to prevent any stray immersion of idols in the river or its banks. Adequate arrangements should be made for designated idol-immersion sites within the municipal area or bank of river Ganga and its tributaries by constructing temporary confined ponds with removable synthetic liners at the bottom,” the directive stated.

“All concerned state government, authority, board or corporation should ensure that there is no use of synthetic material/ non-biodegradable material, Plaster of Paris (POP), baked clay, resin fibers and thermocol for making of idols. Besides, the use of toxic and non-biodegradable chemical dyes or synthetic paints for painting of idols should be strictly prohibited,” the directive added.

In addition to this, an action-taken report within seven days from the end of every festival need to be submitted by the the chief secretaries of the aforementioned 11 states.

The NMCG officials told that the large-scale immersion of idols and puja material in the Ganga and its tributaries during festive occasions, such as 'Ganesh Chaturthi', 'Vishwakarma Puja', 'Durga Puja', 'Diwali', 'Chhath Puja' and 'Saraswati Puja' has led to an alarming rise in pollutants, according to the report.

The disposal of any waste in the Ganga river was banned by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2017.

'Namami Gange' was flagged off by the central government in 2014 in order to achieve the goals of "effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga" under a budget of Rs 20,000 crore.