HYDERABAD: Despite High Court orders banning immersion of idols on the Tank Bund side, arrangements have been going on in full swing to facilitate the same. The authorities, in order to install cranes, have removed the vintage-style lamp posts which were installed.
The Telangana High Court on Monday refused the requests of the state government and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to modify its order dated September 9, imposing ban on immersion of Ganesha Idols made of PoP in Hussainsagar or any other lake in the city and immersion of idols of any kind from the Tank Bund side.
The GHMC has deployed cranes, electricity department arranged generators, the police set up command control rooms and HMDA has been removing lamp posts set up on the Tank Bund, damaging granite pavements which were constructed at the cost of Rs 38 crore.
The HMDA laid cobble stones at 14 locations on the granite pavement. This move was to prevent pavements from being damaged during the Ganesha idol immersion. However, the authorities encountered a strange issue. It seems that now they release that the 14 locations earmarked for setting up cranes during the immersion would not be sufficient, as even medium sized idols do not fit into the area. The officials now have been removing lamp posts, wasting a lot of public money.
The authorities including the police (law and order and traffic), the HMDA, the GHMC and electricity department said they had been just following the instructions of their higher authorities despite knowing that making arrangements would attract contempt of court provisions. The police removed barricades on the Secunderabad side, facilitating the GHMC, HMDA and electricity department to instal generators, lights, cranes, removal of lamp posts and pavement by regulating the traffic.
The nodal agencies seem to be mute spectators while the immersion on People’s Plaza side is going on at full swing. Devotees are immersing even PoP idols from the People's Plaza side. While the higher authorities maintain silence to comment on HC's orders, the mid-level field staff told this newspaper that by adhering to court orders, they had been making arrangements on the Tank Bund for immersing clay idols.
PoP idols including the Khairatabad Ganeha idols would be immersed in baby ponds, the officials said, adding that if the apex court gives the verdict in their favour of High COurt, the Khairatabad idol would be immersed in a baby pond located at Sanjeevaiah Park.
