Bengaluru’s Ulsoor Lake will accept more than one lakh Ganesha idols during the Gowri-Ganesha festival, but immersion will be restricted to a dedicated kalyani and permitted only on nine specified dates, civic authorities said.
The Bengaluru Central City Corporation has prepared the immersion facility within the lake premises after months of rejuvenation work. The kalyani is about 5.5 metres deep and covers nearly 650 square feet. Officials expect a large inflow of idols during the 15-day festival and have planned separate arrangements to prevent idol remnants and festival waste from entering the main lake.
Immersion at the Ulsoor Lake kalyani will be permitted on September 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27 and 28. It will not be allowed on the intervening days, which authorities have reserved for cleaning the kalyani, removing idol remnants and festival waste, and maintaining the rejuvenated lake surroundings.
A lake engineer with the corporation said additional precautions had been taken to protect the waterbody. “Extra precautions have been taken to ensure the lake does not get polluted and all Ganesh idols are immersed only in the kalyani. We have arranged mobile tanks at four sides of the lake so that smaller idols can be immersed there itself,” the engineer said, according to the report.
The corporation has said that only eco-friendly idols will be permitted for immersion. Officials warned that idols made from plaster of Paris found being sold would be seized and that legal action would be initiated against violators. Mobile tanks have been placed around the lake for smaller idols, while a separate queue has been created to manage their movement.
Two cranes have been deployed for round-the-clock operations at the immersion site. Footpaths around the lake have been barricaded and access routes regulated to manage the movement of devotees. Solid waste management teams and autos will collect festival waste, while CCTV cameras, improved lighting, ambulance services, drinking water and mobile toilets have also been arranged.
Traffic and law-and-order arrangements are being coordinated with the police and other departments. A single-window committee comprising officials from the corporation, police, Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company, fire and emergency services and other agencies has been formed to grant permissions for Ganesha installations and oversee festival-related arrangements.
The restricted schedule places the lake’s post-rejuvenation maintenance at the centre of the festival plan. Authorities will use the non-immersion days to clean the dedicated facility and remove waste before the next permitted batch of idols arrives. The civic arrangements will remain in force through the scheduled immersion dates ending on September 28.
