Artificial ponds won’t be enough for idol immersion, say Durga Puja Samitis

With Durga puja festivities set to begin on Friday, and Dussehra barely four days away, many puja samitis have expressed concern over the size of the artificial

With Durga puja festivities set to begin on Friday, and Dussehra barely four days away, many puja samitis have expressed concern over the size of the artificial ponds created by authorities for immersion.

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As per orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed ‘Yamuna Monitoring Committee’, no idols would be allowed to be immersed in the Yamuna this year. This is keeping in mind the level of pollution in the river.

Instead, the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Delhi Jal Board and Delhi Development Authority (DDA) have created 116 “artificial ponds” across the city for immersions. This will prevent pollution in Yamuna from any Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols, synthetic paints on them and accessories that could cause waste accumulation on the riverbed, as per the NGT.

However, puja samitis say that while “smaller idols of Ganesha and Vishwakarma during festivals last month could easily be accommodated in the ponds, the larger Durga puja idols will face a problem.”

Anand Mukherjee, chairman of the South Delhi Durga Puja Immersion Committee, said, “Till last year, about 150 puja samitis under our banner were submerging their idols in Yamuna at Kalindi Kunj ghat. This time, we have been shown three artificial ponds at Shiv Ghat nearby, the largest of which is 40 feet x 50 feet and water will only be 4.5 feet deep.”

“The Durga puja idols are not just of the mother Goddess, but her five children, the lion and demon. These are about 16-18 feet in height and at the base itself, about 5.5 feet big. Even if we drop the idols in a sleeping position in the ponds, they will still not be fully submerged,” he said.

A bigger concern is that each pond will not just accommodate idols from one puja samiti, but several. “These idols will not dissolver in minutes or hours. They need to be kept overnight at least. But we doubt if each pond can accommodate more than one ek chala (all Gods in one) idol frame,” said MK Roy, secretary of the South Delhi Durga Puja Immersion Committee.

Mukherjee said about 50 puja samitis -- including in Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Lodhi Road, Pushp Vihar, etc. -- are worried over the issue and he has already written letters to Harleen Kaur, the District Magistrate of South-East Delhi; Saurabh Bhardwaj, MLA from Greater Kailash constituency; and Ramesh Bidhuri, Member of Parliament from south Delhi, in this regard.

Saurabh Bhardwaj, when contacted, said, “The concerned samitis, wherever in Delhi, have to contact the local District Magistrate office, regarding issues with the ponds. I understand that several big puja samitis in GK and CR Park have created their own small ponds or using rainwater harvesting pits for immersion. This is a good idea.”

However, puja organisers like Tushar Mahapatra of the Pushp Vihar Sarbojonin Puja Samiti said the problem is not of samitis that have a large area for pit creation, but with those who don’t have large land parcels at disposal. “I checked an artificial pond in Saket yesterday. It barely had room for knee-deep water. This year, immersion will be a real challenge.”