Visakhapatnam: PoP idols, heaps of waste material get washed ashore

Visakhapatnam: Several stretches of the beach are heaped with dried flowers, leaves and fruits along with Vinayaka idols made of Plaster of Paris.

After Ganesh puja rituals, residents of various colonies made their way to the beach to immerse the idol worshipped.

After completing the rituals at home, many were seen at the RK Beach, Peda Jalaripeta, Appu Ghar, opposite Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, VUDA park and Lawson's Bay Colony holding Ganesh idols for immersion. Mobile flashlights and torchlights have come in handy to the citizens to carry out the annual ritual at night. Security arrangements are in place all along the stretches of the beach to avoid any untoward incident.

Normally, residents in various localities used to keep the idol worshipped at nearby pandals for immersion. But this year, since the state government braces for home celebrations, many are left with no other choice than to immerse the idol themselves.

For many, the immersion process turned out to be a family ritual. "After a long time, we stepped out of our home with family. Given the pandemic situation and having no pandals arranged this year, we went to Appu Ghar to immerse the idol," says T Murali Krishna, an entrepreneur.

While some immersed the idols on Saturday night, many did on Sunday. As a result, several spots all along the beach were seen crowded.

Moreover, lacking experience in following the immersion process, most people were seen keeping the idols close to the sea only to see the idols getting washed ashore. This gave way to heaps of decomposed flowers and leaves, leftover puja material and Plaster of Paris idols scattered all over the beach.

A similar situation is likely to be witnessed in various localities as immersion ritual continues in the coming days.

Despite the rise in awareness level among people about the toxic content of PoP idols, they continue to dot the seashore.