VIJAYAWADA: The city police and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials ensured that Ganesh idols brought for immersion were only half immersed like last year. Decrying the shabby treatment meted out to the idols during the immersion, devotees said the move hurt their sentiments.
On Sunday, close to 350 idols were immersed by the pandal committees across the city. But to their dismay, several idols were seen floating in the river on Monday morning. Puja material such as flowers, incense sticks, foodstuff, and clothes packed in polythene bags and dumped near the immersion point made the place look like a dumping yard.
As the VMC officials had said foolproof arrangements for the immersion had been made, devotees expected it to be carried out upstream of Prakasam Barrage. However, the immersions were confined to a small pond with insufficient water downstream of the barrage.
Until a few years ago, Ganesh idols were immersed at Bhavani and Punnami Ghats in Bhavanipuram area. But this year, the irrigation department officials changed the immersion point to Seethamma Vari Padalu Ghat at downstream of Prakasam Barrage in a bid to protect the Krishna river from getting polluted. According to police officials, as many as 1,650 Ganesh idols were installed by festival committees in Vijayawada commissionerate limits. Of the total, 1,350 idols had been immersed till Monday morning.
As police officials had instructed festival committees to immerse idols in canals citing security reasons, some were seen immersing them in Ryves irrigation canal late Sunday night. When asked about the immersion of idols in the city’s canals, the VMC officials said they were unaware of the change in police’s decision and will ensure that festival committees do not pollute water bodies further.
City’s idols
A few devotees immersed idols in city canals as well
1,650
Ganesh idols set up in city
350
Immersed on Sunday
1,350
Immersed so far