With the Telangana High Court upholding the ban on the immersion of idols made with plaster of Paris (PoP) in Hussain Sagar Lake, the Hyderabad police and the civic body have put up flex banners around the iconic lake prohibiting the immersion of Ganesh idols. Strictly enforcing the court order, the police have also placed iron barricades around the Tank Bund area to prevent devotees from immersing idols in the already highly polluted lake. However, BJP MLA T Raja Singh has argued that the lake is already polluted and urged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to resolve the confusion in the minds of devotees regarding the ban.

Apart from placing banners prohibiting immersion in Hussain Sagar Lake in compliance with the high court order, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has set up several portable ponds and designated spots for idol immersion. The civic body has set up 27 baby ponds inside existing lakes and 24 portable prefabricated water tanks for this purpose. The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed officials to follow the guidelines drawn up in 2021 for the immersion of idols in Hussain Sagar.

According to these guidelines, only clay and other eco-friendly idols can be immersed in the lake, while PoP idols have to be immersed in artificial lakes created by the GHMC for the purpose. Although many households have switched to eco-friendly clay idols, pandals continue to use PoP idols due to their durability and vibrant colours compared to clay ones.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA T Raja Singh pointed out that Hussain Sagar is already polluted and its water is contaminated. He questioned, “If Hyderabad police and GHMC do not allow the public and pandal committees to immerse Ganesh idols, where else can this be done?” He appealed to the Chief Minister to clarify the matter.

Earlier in the day, the newly appointed commissioner of police, Hyderabad commissionerate, CV Anand, reviewed police arrangements for Ganesh immersion on 17 September and the Milad un Nabi festival, which follows two days later.

The Khairtabad Ganesh idol, which is one of the largest, will be immersed before 1.30 pm on 17 September. On the final day of Ganesh puja and immersion, the deployment of police personnel will last for 40 hours and requires extensive planning.