HC asks BMC to list steps to ensure eco-friendly immersion of Ganesha idols in Aarey Colony

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Monday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to submit a list of steps taken to ensure eco-friendly immersion of Ganesha idols takes place in Aarey Colony.

A division bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Arif Doctor issued the directive on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Vanashakti, a non-governmental organisation, who moved the high court seeking urgent orders, contending that the BMC insisted the three lakes in Aarey Milk Colony — Chhota Kashmir lake, Ganesh Mandir lake, and Kamal lake, be made available for immersion of Ganesha idols between September 19 and 28.

The court then directed the civic body to ensure that the directives and orders were strictly complied with and arrangements be made to provide artificial lakes in Aarey Colony for immersion of idols.

After the chief executive officer of the Aarey Milk Colony informed the civic body that the Colony is an ecologically sensitive zone and non-polluting activities were prohibited in the area, BMC officials told the CEO that Ravindra Waikar had insisted that the lakes should be made available for immersion, as has been done over the years.

The NGO also pointed out that the MLA from Jogeshwari East has also stated that every year, around 5,000 Ganesha idols are immersed in the lakes, and even this year, despite opposition by Aarey Milk Colony, people are determined to immerse idols in the lakes.

The judges were surprised to note that though the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has prohibited the making of PoP idols and directions have been issued by the high court to not allow immersion of idols in natural water bodies, the BMC, however, insisted on making these Aarey Colony lakes available for immersion.

The court has now posted the PIL filed by Vanashakti for further hearing on Friday.

In the petition filed through its director Stalin Dayanand, the non-governmental body has sought directions to protect the three water bodies by preventing people from immersing Ganesha idols made of plaster of Paris and other artificial materials as the material is non-biodegradable and toxic and not only directly affects the aquatic life but also reduces the oxygen level of the water.

The NGO has contended that immersion of idols, irrespective of the material used to make the same, would cause tremendous environmental degradation to the green cover, which is declared as an Ecologically Sensitive Zone by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.