Ganga chokes under immersion mess

KOLKATA: Like every year, this time, too, Durga Puja has left behind the same victim — river Hooghly, choking under pollution.
Sadly, though, pollution seems to be the last thing on people''s minds during festivities. So much so that even a ruling by Calcutta High Court failed to evoke any response from the authorities to save the river from pollution caused by immersion of idols.The West Bengal Pollution Control Board does not even recollect the guidelines it formulated three years ago while two implementing agencies, the police and the KMC, are busy blaming each other.
Following a PIL, Justices Ashok Ganguly and A. Talukdar ordered WBPCB on October 23, 2000 to devise a mechanism to minimise pollution after idol immersion. Thus, PCB prepared the guidelines to "maintain cleanliness of river Ganga after immersion of idols".
It comprised six clauses that clearly said that all remnants, mainly the structure, had to be removed within 24 hours of immersion. It also said the debris had to be removed to solid waste dumping site.
While ensuring removal of remnants was the responsibility of the police, civic bodies were responsible for the ultimate disposal of the waste.
Latest PCB report claimed water quality of Hooghly near Dakshineswar was 7,00,000 Coliform just after immersion against an ideal of 5,000 Coliform. The report also pointed out that idol immersion after rainy season allows biodegradable and non-biodegradable matter in water bodies to settle down. This leads to eutrophication of water bodies.
However, neither Kolkata Police nor KMC seem interested in shouldering responsibility. "It is neither our duty nor do we have time to do so," said deputy commissioner (headquarters) Sanjay Mukherjee. He also claimed PCB did not ask for help. MMIC (conservancy) Rajib Deb claimed it was the duty of the police to ensure remnants were removed. "We are not the enforcing authority," he said. The WBPCB member secretary Shyamal Chakrabarty claimed ignorance. "I do not know anything. We need time to see what the rule is," he told TOI.