Telangana High Court to government: Ensure PoP Ganesh idols are 'not' immersed in Hussainsagar lake

Hyderabad: The division bench of the Telangana High Court, headed by Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Surepalli Nanda, on Thursday directed the State government to ensure that Ganesh idols made of PoP (plaster of Paris) or any other material are "not" immersed in the Hussainsagar lake or any other lakes in Telangana, as the pollution created by the idol immersion in lakes is literally taking them to the verge of extinction.

The HC, while issuing the order, cited the order of the division bench of the court consisting of the then Acting CJ M S Ramchander Rao, which on September 9, 2021.

Restrained the government from going ahead with the immersion of PoP idols in Hussainsagar.

When the State approached the Supreme Court on the ground that all arrangements were made for immersion in Hussainsagar it is impossible to make alternate arrangements for immersion at the last minute. The Supreme Court, as a last chance, allowed the State to go for immersion, but restrained it from immersion in Hussainsagar from 2022 onwards.

The division bench in its order on Thursday directed the State government to issue clear orders making alternate arrangements for immersion of Ganesh idols made of PoP and other material elsewhere, other than Hussainsagar or any other lake. Such orders should be issued well before the commencement of the Ganesh Festival in the State i.e., on August 31, 2022.

The court did not pass any order imposing "ban on usage of Plaster of Paris" in the State, which gives a free hand to the Ganesh idol-makers across the State to make PoP idols and sell them, but the court restrained the State from immersing such idols in Hussainsagar or any other lake.

As the State government has informed the court in 2021 that 25 baby ponds have been created in the GHMC limits for immersing Ganesh Idols, the court directed the State to go ahead with the immersion in those 25 baby ponds.

The division bench was adjudicating two writ petitions filed by Om Prakash and three others from Ganga Bowli seeking a direction to the commissioners of GHMC and HMDA besides the TS Pollution Control Board to permit them to sell Ganesh idols, which were made ready prior to the spread of Covid.

Another petition was filed by Telangana Ganesh Murti Kalakaar Welfare Association and nine others from Dhoolpet seeking suspension of orders of the Central Pollution Control Board, Union of India, New Delhi "banning" PoP. Hearing in the case was adjourned to September 15, 2022.