Telangana HC bans immersion of POP Ganesh idols in Hussainsagar and city water bodies

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court made it clear that no Ganesh idol made of plaster of Paris (PoP) can be immersed in the Hussainsagar or any water body in city limits. The court directed the GHMC, HMDA, the irrigation department and the police to make alternative arrangements like setting up baby ponds to immerse PoP idols.

The division bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar, said that the orders passed by the High Court in 2021 prohibiting immersion of POP idols in the city were in force. Violating the court orders would be taken seriously, the High Court said.

The court suggested to the party-in-person Mamidi Venu Madhav that if he came across any violation of the High Court order, he could approach the court with sufficient proof.

The bench was dealing with a petition filed by the Telangana Ganesh Murti Kalakar Welfare Association, Dhoolpet, and eight others, in 2022 challenging the validity of the revised guidelines clause 2.0 issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), New Delhi, which prohibited making and selling PoP idols.

In 2021, the Telangana High Court directed the government and GHMC to issue a circular by March 31, 2022 for banning POP Ganesh idols, in accordance with the Central PCB guidelines. However, neither the government nor the civic body complied with the orders.

When the idol-makers came up with PpP idols and were trying to sell them, GHMC and police officials raised objections. Challenging the same, a petition was filed in 2022 by the idol-makers. Last year, the court had allowed the sale of PoP idols but directed that there should be a blanket ban from 2023 onwards.

As the issue is pending and no circular has been issued on banning PoP idols, the High Court heard the petition with other petitions, which challenged their immersion in Hussainsagar.

Government counsel Harender Pershad informed the division bench that PoP idols were not immersed in the Hussainsagar but in any one of the 100 baby ponds (artificial ponds) created by the GHMC specifically for the purpose.

Pershad said that revised guidelines clause 2.0 (i) issued by the CPCB were upheld by the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court. The court said that it would examine if the revised CPCB guidelines are still in force.