Bhopal: Huge piles of foul-smelling waste dumped on the banks of the city lakes are stark reminder of the fact that the Ganeshotsava has come to a conclusion. Most of the waste included ‘nirmalya’, consisting flowers, coconuts and food products. A walk around of the banks of the Upper and Lower Lakes on Wednesday revealed the hollowness of the claims of the BMC that “Bhopal is the cleanest capital of the country”.
The idols, flowers, coconuts, prasad, earthen lamps and whatnot, fished out of the lake by the dredging machines of the BMC, have been dumped in a haphazard manner at the Khatlapura Ghat on the Lower Lake and Prempura and Bhadbhada Ghats on the Upper Lake. Those living around the area fear that if the waste is not removed immediately, it may start rotting rapidly, emitting unbearable stench.
Clearly, the guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board for idol immersions were violated with impunity. The guidelines say that only bare idols should be immersed in water and all decorative items including clothes, garlands, ornaments etc should be removed. Coconuts, flowers etc which were offered to the deity were also not supposed to be immersed in the water bodies.
None of these norms were followed. Most of the organisers immersed the idols without caring to remove the embellishments. And the householders were the worst violators.
“Due to Anant Chaturdashi procession, many roads were closed for traffic. As a result, we faced problems in reaching our homes. We had to take longer routes. BMC workers are seen clearing the lakes but they are dumping the garbage near the banks. As a result, stench is already pervading the air. We can only hope the authorities will clear the waste as soon as possible”, said Mahima Dwiwedi, a resident of police lines.
Kuldeep Parate, a student of RGPV said, “The thinking of people needs to be changed. The BMC can only advice and recommend and try to enforce the rules but people also need to be aware and come forward to protect the water bodies and the environment. They should buy and use eco-friendly Ganesha idols and the idols made of plaster of Paris should be banned completely. We all need to make a collective effort. Only cursing the authorities won’t do”.
