Hyderabad, Sep 10 : The Telangana High Court on Tuesday made it clear that Ganesh idols made of only clay and eco-friendly material may be immersed in the Hussain Sagar Lake.

The court directed authorities to implement its order issued in 2021, banning the immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in the lake. It reiterated that PoP idols should be immersed only in artificial ponds set up by the municipal authorities.

The High Court direction came while hearing the petition of Venu Madhav, who claimed that the government committed contempt by not implementing the Court orders for three years. The petitioner had also brought to the notice of the court that the authorities were deploying heavy cranes at Hussain Sagar for immersion. He also argued that heavy cranes pose a danger to Tank Bund.

The court, however, found fault with the petitioner for filing a contempt petition against the government in the eleventh hour.

The division bench headed by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe directed that guidelines issued in 2021 should be implemented. As per the guidelines, PoP idols should not be immersed in natural water bodies.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Police and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have put up flex banners at Hussain Sagar declaring that idol immersion is not allowed on Tank Bund as per orders of the Telangana High Court. The authorities are also erecting barricades to implement the court orders.

Ganesh festivities began on September 7 and they will culminate with a massive immersion procession on September 17.

Thousands of idols from various parts of Hyderabad, Secunderabad and the outskirts are immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city. Lakhs of people attend the annual procession.

Meanwhile, reacting to police and GHMC banners, BJP MLA Raja Singh said this had created confusion and fear among devotees. He said this issue had also come up in the past. He demanded the Chief Minister and GHMC Commissioner to clarify if not in Hussain Sagar, where should the idols be immersed.

The MLA said that since Hussain Sagar was already polluted due to sewage and chemical effluents, the argument that immersion of idols pollutes the water is baseless. He claimed that the government and GHMC get profit from the material used for making idols as the same are retrieved from the lake a day or two after the immersion.

/IANS