BGUS urges govt for peaceful immersion sans pre-conditions

Hyderabad: The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi on Thursday warned the government that it will have to take responsibility if something adverse happens at Tank Bund during the immersion programme on September 17.

Addressing the press here, the samithi members said the mass immersion will take place on September 17 on the Anant Chaturdashi. Deepankar Swamy from the Ujjain Mutt (Madhya Pradesh) would be the chief guest.

Samithi general secretary Rajavardhan Reddy said the government should allow peaceful immersion without any conditions. “The government should also make arrangements. The 2021 guidelines have two important aspects: first, there is no ban on immersion at Tank Bund; second, there is no ban on immersion of Plaster of Paris idols. The High Court has rejected the contempt petition, and no relief was provided to the petitioners,” he said.

The Samithi leader said a lot of exercise has to be taken for promoting the clay idols. “The BGUS supports the idea of clay idols, as we are encouraging devotees to go for eco-friendly idols. Three parties are involved in the festival: the government, manufacturers of idols, and devotees. The government should provide the raw material for idol-making. The devotees will also purchase if eco-friendly idols are made available,” said Reddy.