New spot to immerse idols will ensure river is unpolluted

Lucknow: The administration has come up with a plan to ensure that immersion of idols in the river does not pollute its waters. A new point to immerse idols after pujas in the downstream of the Gomti river will come up soon. The district administration and Lucknow Municipal Corporation have selected a spot near Bagha Mau Dam, opposite the international cricket stadium near Shaheed Path.
Since the spot is in the downstream, immersions won't pollute the part of the river passing through the city, said an official. There will also be restriction on immersion at Kudia Ghat, which is used as of now. The flow of the river will be stopped during the immersion period and it will only be revived after Jal Nigam has cleaned the debris flowing on it and after the rest of the material has settled on the river bed. The measures will also keep the Gomti riverfront area clean.
"We will try to open the new spot as soon as possible so that immersion of Ganpati idols can happen there. Later, it can be used for immersion of idols after Durga Puja. A ramp would be constructed so that vehicles carrying idols can approach the spot easily. A temporary boundary wall will be constructed to check overcrowding," said Ashok Kumar, additional district minister. Even if the new spot is not ready in time for Ganpati idol immersion, this will be the last year when idol immersion is allowed at Kudia Ghat. The ghat is anyway barricaded because of the riverfront work. "The leftover immersed material will be filtered after the temporary embankment is removed," Kumar added.