Six artificial ponds in Greater Kailash and CR Park for Idol immersion

With the Durga Puja celebration drawing towards the end, Delhi Jal Board has set up six artificial ponds in CR Park and Greater Kailash to facilitate the idol immersions

With the Durga Puja celebration drawing towards the end, Delhi Jal Board has set up six artificial ponds in CR Park and Greater Kailash to facilitate the idol immersions.

Devotees take part in celebrations during Durga Puja festival, at CR Park in New Delhi. (ANI)

Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairman Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the temporary ghats in the form of these artificial ponds will help in preventing the chemicals and materials applied during the making of idols to reach Yamuna and hamper the natural ecology of the river.

“Chittaranjan Park is considered as the hub of Durga Puja celebrations in the city. We are trying to ensure that the Visarjan is not carried out in Yamuna as authorities have instead created enough local artificial ghats near the pandals,” he added.

Bharadwaj said that Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has also allowed the digging of the visarjan ghats at Astha Kunj near Nehru Place for the immersion of Idols.

“Five artificial ghats have been developed at the place of Durga Puja Pandals and one big sized artificial ghat is created in Astha Kunj to accommodate the idol immersion from other Durga Puja Pandals of South Delhi where the development of artificial ghats was not possible. The Astha Kunj artificial pond has a capacity of 15- 20 water tankers. Different time slots have been allocated to Durga Puja Committees to the idol immersion,” the Jal board VC said.

Besides Astha Kunj, five artificial ghats have been developed in B-Block, D-Block, Cooperative Ground, Mela Ground in CR Park and E-Block in Greater Kailash-2.

Delhi has banned all idol immersion in the Yamuna since 2019, with Delhi Pollution Control Committee in its directions stating any violator found to be immersing idols in the Yamuna will be fined ₹50,000, along with provisions that can warrant a jail term up to six years. No idol immersions are allowed in the river during festivals like Durga Puja or Ganesh Chaturthi.