The efforts of Lucknow Municipal corporation to get Durga idols immersed inside the pits filled with water near river Gomti have not yielded results this year. But next year LMC bosses plan to involve all the Puja samiti’s for talks for eco friendly immersion of idols.
This year LMC had dug up pits at Jhule Lal Vatika, Mankameshwar van, Khatu Shyam Vatika behind Hanuman Setu Temple for immersion of DurgaIdols after Durga Puja.
“ This was done to control growing pollution in river Gomti as paints, varnish, thinner, are used in idols these things contain harmful components like Chromium and Cadmium which pollute the river in a bigway,” said additional municipal commissioner AC Sinha.
“ We called in a few Puja Samiti’s they agreed to cooperate with usbut due to old traditions and social pressures they must havepreferred to immerse the idols in the river,” said Sinha.
This time perhaps the efforts were too late said mayor Dinesh Sharma.He added, “ We must not loose heart as changes can’t be forced overnight, we must praise the efforts of LMC that it dug up pits foreco friendly immersion of idols. Atleast LMC officials dared to thinkprogressively, next time surely some idols would be immersed in these pits.”
“ Next year the effort would be to involve Puja Samiti’s into an awareness campaign earlier so that opinion of some religious bigwigs could be obtained. We can ask some big religious leaders who think alike on environmental issues to inspire the puja samitis to immerse the idols in the pits instead of river. But one thing is for sure that we will never force anyone for the task, as it’s the matter of faith, and tradition,” said Mayor.On the other side number of goddess Durga were immersed in riverGomti at the end of the Durga Puja festival on Monday. However, most of the Durga puja committees pleaded ignorance about anyeffort of LMC to immerse Durga Idols in pits filled with water. SudipSanyal, general secretary of La Touche Road Puja committee: “There wasno information at all. Neither LMC officials nor any other agency have contacted us.”BP Shah, a senior member of Aashiana Durga Puja committee said thatLMC might have called others not us. They never briefed us. Next time if we are called we will surely discuss the issues regarding immersion.”