Nagpur citizens embrace eco-friendly Ganesh idol immersion
After NMC banned idol immersion in natural water bodies, citizens are turning to artificial tanks, though banned POP idols are still being sold
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has completely banned the immersion of Ganesh idols in the city's lakes and other natural water bodies. Following this, residents of Nagpur are now moving towards environmentally safer alternatives. For the immersion of smaller idols, the civic body has built 447 artificial immersion tanks across the city. Immersion chariots have also been deployed to reach citizens' homes wherever needed.
The campaign is receiving strong support from Nagpur residents. Several voluntary organisations are also working alongside the municipal corporation. The Green Vigil Foundation has been associated with the NMC's eco-friendly Ganesh immersion campaign since 2010 and is working for the 16th consecutive year at the Air Force side of Futala Lake.
According to Green Vigil Foundation team lead Surabhi Jaiswal, there has been a significant change in people's response over the years. She said that in the early years, it was difficult to convince devotees not to immerse idols in the lake. Even collecting nirmalya was a challenge, as people were hesitant to hand it over to volunteers. Surabhi Jaiswal said, "Today, citizens come forward on their own to use the artificial immersion facility and happily give us the nirmalya and other puja material."
However, the use of idols made of Plaster of Paris, or POP, remains a matter of concern. Shriya Joge, a Green Vigil Foundation volunteer stationed at Futala Lake, said that despite the ban, POP idols are still being sold and bought. In the first six days of immersion, a total of 1,335 idols arrived at the Futala Lake site, of which 95 were made of POP.
The campaign is being supported by Green Vigil Foundation members Kaustav Chatterjee, Surabhi Jaiswal, Mehul Kosurkar, Shriya Joge, Bishnudev Yadav, Pinaki Banik, Priya Yadav, Tushar Deshmukh and Parth Jumde. Besides them, Hardik Agarwal, Anushka Gurve, Harsh Jora, Amey Shendre, Avanti Joshi and other volunteers from REEF and Shri Ramdeobaba University are also involved in the effort.
