HYDERABAD: To take forward the State government’s policy of encouraging the use of ‘’Eco Ganesha, Green Ganesha, Clay Ganesha’’ for the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival on September 18, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will distribute as many as 3.10 lakh clay Ganesh idols to the devotees across the city.
Ganesh clay idols will be procured in three different sizes and the same will be distributed to the people at all the GHMC circles and zonal offices from September 15. The State Government for the last few years has been promoting Green Ganeshas or Clay Ganeshas as the immersion of such idols in water bodies may not have any adverse effect on water quality as well as on the rejuvenation of the water bodies in the city and its outskirts.
Last year there was an encouraging response from the devotees, with most of them preferring environmentally friendly clay idols rather than going for Plaster of Paris (PoP) ones. Three departments, GHMC, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and Telangana Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) distributed around six lakh clay Ganesh idols in the city last year.
GHMC’s goal is to promote eco-friendly Ganesh idols and to minimise the usage of PoP-based idols as the latter will have a harmful impact on the environment. The Ganesh idols will be made of natural clay without any artificial additives and with biodegradable material.
The three clay idols which come in three sizes are meant for distribution to the devotees, mandap organisers and colony welfare associations free of cost. As many as 2.70 lakh clay idols of eight-inch size or (20.32 cm), 30,000 idols of one feet size (12 inches) and 10,000 clay idols of 1.5 feet size (18 inches) will be procured. The idol makers will deliver the clay Ganesh idols before September 15, 2023, using their own transport or hire vehicles.