BHOPAL: Potholed road allegedly triggered the fall of a 22 ft tall Lord Ganesh idol in the procession of ongoing Ganesh Utsav in Gwalior on Sunday night.
The mishap which reportedly hurt two persons, including a woman has left the tall idol shattered into pieces, just before its installation at the pandal in the adjoining Khallasipura locality. The two injured persons were taken to a hospital and reportedly discharged after primary treatment.
Enraged by the incident, the local residents staged a road blockade protest at Shinde ki Chhawani-Nawab Sahab ka Kuwa, demanding action against those responsible for the big pothole.
“Many days of hard work, which saw the making of this giant idol of Lord Ganesha, have been shattered into pieces. We don’t have words to express our agony and anger. This has happened only due to the carelessness of the local administration,” said Ritik Goyal, a member of the concerned Ganesh Puja club alleged.
“The journey of the idol started from Jiwajiganj area of Gwalior city on Sunday midnight. There was no deviation route which doesn’t have a neatly laiden road to carry the idol," he added.
The crowd pacified the protest after the assurance by the local BJP MLA and state’s electricity minister Pradumn Singh Toma, to take action against the erring officials.
Subsequently, a JCB machine and a special vehicle were pressed into action to remove the damaged Ganesh idol honourably.
Considered perhaps the tallest Lord Ganesh idol in the ongoing Ganesh Utsav in Gwalior, the tall idol was reportedly crafted by sculptor Pinki Kumar in around 50 days at Rs 1.5 lakh cost.
It was to be installed at the giant pandal of the Ganesh Puja Committee in Khallasipura locality.