<p>Despite Telangana High Court orders, the K Chandrasekhar Rao government has bowed to pressure from the BJP and Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi and permitted the immersion of plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols in the Hussain Sagar, also known as Vinayaka Sagar lake.</p>.<p>Last year, the high court, prohibited the PoP Ganesh idols’ immersion in the lake and other such waterbodies in the city while reviewing petitions pointing to environmental impact, water pollution caused by PoP, artificial colours and other materials used in the idol making.</p>.<p>The court directed the idol immersions in ponds created for the purpose by the Hyderabad civic body. However, the GHMC managed to get relief from the Supreme Court one last time, and the immersions were conducted in the lake in 2021.</p>.<p>The BGUS this year took the agitation route to demand the TRS government bring in a “Tamil Nadu like ordinance which allowed Jallikattu,” refusing to immerse the idols into the small, artificial ponds that are also seen as unsuitable to immerse massive statues like the 50 feet Khairatabad Ganesh.</p>.<p>After BGUS leader Dr Bhagavanth Rao sat on a hunger strike and TBJP chief Bandi Sanjay also warned KCR “against hurting Hindu sentiments”, the GHMC had by Thursday installed heavy cranes along the lake banks, Tank Bund and NTR marg to facilitate immersion of large PoP idols too. The BGUS leaders claim that PoP idols are easy to extract from the lake soon after the immersion, a procedure that has been followed for several years now.</p>.<p>“Unlike clay idols, which disintegrate easily in water, PoP idols give enough time, like 12 to 24 hours, for the civic body to retrieve the material and dispose of it suitably elsewhere,” Ravinuthala Sasidhar, secretary, BGUS and joint secretary Telangana, VHP, told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>According to him, the civic body and state government failed to properly present the facts before the court, which led to the prohibitory order.</p>.<p>On Friday, the Hyderabad police made elaborate security arrangements along the 19 km procession route from Balapur to the Hussain Sagar lake, passing through the communally sensitive Charminar area.</p>
<p>Despite Telangana High Court orders, the K Chandrasekhar Rao government has bowed to pressure from the BJP and Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi and permitted the immersion of plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols in the Hussain Sagar, also known as Vinayaka Sagar lake.</p>.<p>Last year, the high court, prohibited the PoP Ganesh idols’ immersion in the lake and other such waterbodies in the city while reviewing petitions pointing to environmental impact, water pollution caused by PoP, artificial colours and other materials used in the idol making.</p>.<p>The court directed the idol immersions in ponds created for the purpose by the Hyderabad civic body. However, the GHMC managed to get relief from the Supreme Court one last time, and the immersions were conducted in the lake in 2021.</p>.<p>The BGUS this year took the agitation route to demand the TRS government bring in a “Tamil Nadu like ordinance which allowed Jallikattu,” refusing to immerse the idols into the small, artificial ponds that are also seen as unsuitable to immerse massive statues like the 50 feet Khairatabad Ganesh.</p>.<p>After BGUS leader Dr Bhagavanth Rao sat on a hunger strike and TBJP chief Bandi Sanjay also warned KCR “against hurting Hindu sentiments”, the GHMC had by Thursday installed heavy cranes along the lake banks, Tank Bund and NTR marg to facilitate immersion of large PoP idols too. The BGUS leaders claim that PoP idols are easy to extract from the lake soon after the immersion, a procedure that has been followed for several years now.</p>.<p>“Unlike clay idols, which disintegrate easily in water, PoP idols give enough time, like 12 to 24 hours, for the civic body to retrieve the material and dispose of it suitably elsewhere,” Ravinuthala Sasidhar, secretary, BGUS and joint secretary Telangana, VHP, told <em>DH</em>.</p>.<p>According to him, the civic body and state government failed to properly present the facts before the court, which led to the prohibitory order.</p>.<p>On Friday, the Hyderabad police made elaborate security arrangements along the 19 km procession route from Balapur to the Hussain Sagar lake, passing through the communally sensitive Charminar area.</p>
