Kurnool: The Kurnool Municipal Corporation has urged the public to go for eco-friedly Ganeshas made of clay, grass and water-soluble colours. A 51 feet eco-friendly Ganesh idol is taking shape on the banks of Tungabhadra. About 400 Ganesh idols of 15 feet high have already been made to be sold.
KMC Commissioner C. B. Harinath Reddy said, “To keep water bodies, canals and rivers safe from the toxic effluents, this year we had taken a concerted approach in dissuading people from going to flashy Ganesh idols. Last year we had a bitter experience as water in KC canal was not sufficient to immerse idols,” he said. But this time there is sufficient water in all rivers in Kurnool, he said.
He further said that a team of craftsmen were brought from Kolkata to Kurnool to manufacture clay idols here. “We have persuaded Ganesh utsav committee to encourage enthusiasts to install these idols only,” he added. A demo clay Ganesh idol of 10 feet height was kept at kids world, Hari said.
A Ganesh utsav committee representative said that around 1,200 t0 1,500 idols would be required to be installed at various colonies, including apartments office complexes and other places. “We are encouraging our members to install only eco-friendly idols,” he said.
A 51 feet clay Ganesh idol was under construction on the banks of river Tungabhadra. The muni-cipal commissioner said that this idol will not be transported to any other place. It will stay put where it is being built. After the festival, it will be immersed in the Tung-abhadra river, he said.
The police, revenue and municipal officers have been conducting series of meetings with Ganesh utsav committee for a peaceful affair, he said.
Some engineering college students have formed a pressure group to advocate the use of eco-friendly Ganesha. Sudhakar, an engineering student of a local college, said, “It is our duty to protect the environment, on this Ganesh Chaturthi, let’s give Ganesha a green goodbye.”
