VISAKHAPATNAM: WITH Ganesh festival on threshold, the district administration and the police department have taken a decision to completely ban immersion of Ganesh idols on the Naval Coastal Battery-Park Hotel junction stretch owing to the beach erosion and avoid environmental pollution. Appealing to the public to use alternative locations for the immersion, collector Pravin Kumar on Saturday said the restriction would be extended up to Kailasagiri from September 12 to Sept 16 in view of the three-day BRICS conference from Sept 14 and some other government programmes.
Pravin Kumar told the media that there would be some government programmes on Kailasagiri Hill, Park Hotel and Novotel Hotel from Sept 12 to Sept 16, resulting in heavy VIP movement on the Castal Battery-Kailsagiri Road stretch. He said that they had identified two areas _ fishing harbour and the Peda Waltair beach _ for the immersion of Ganesh idols, that too on select days. “People could use the fishing harbour for the immersion. We are in talks with the VPT. The Peda Waltair Beach could be also used except from Sept 12 to Sept 16. We also request the utsav committees, especially on outskirts, to conduct immersions at nearby water bodies without coming to the RK Beach stretch,” said Pravin Kumar. However, the stretch from Sagarnagar and other areas could be used for the immersion during those days, he said.
Single window clearance pandals
Pravin also said that they were setting up exclusive desks with officials of Pollution Control Board (PCB), Law and Order police, EPDCL and Fire department at the ACP offices of four zones in the city which would give permission for committees interested to set up puja pandals. “Till last year, the utsav committees have to take permission from offices of all these departments. But now public could approach zonal ACP offices, where we would provide single window clearance under one roof,” said Pravin. He said that the counters will be opened from Sunday.