COVID-19: Public Ganesh Pooja celebrations in Bengaluru restricted to three days

Bengaluru, Sep 7: The Bengaluru civic agency has permitted only three-day Ganesha Pooja celebrations in the city in public places against the Karnataka government order allowing five days'' of festivities in the state, to keep COVID-19 infections in check.

"Ganesha festival will not be allowed for more than three days in Bengaluru city. There should not be any procession while bringing the idol or during immersion," the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said in a circular.

The instruction came after Gupta had a meeting with senior district level officers and Bengaluru police commissioner Kamal Pant.

Later talking to reporters, Gupta said the BBMP had last year permitted Ganesha festival for three days, which will continue this year as well.

He said the decision to have it for only three days was taken after inputs from the police that there were possibilities of large gatherings participating in the public celebrations.

Gupta also said that Ganesha idols made of plaster of Paris have been banned.

He asked people to immerse the traditional Ganesha idol, made up of biodegradable material in their homes in buckets or mobile tankers of the civic agency.

"Idols installed at homes should be immersed at home only or in our mobile tank. Ganeshas installed at public places should be of (a maximum of) four feet height and should be immersed in mobile tanks. We are also creating immersion tanks. We have also arrived at a decision to ban immersion of idols in lakes," Gupta said.

Pant said one Ganesha idol at public place in each ward is permitted, for which the organisers will have to get the nod from the BBMP and then inform the deputy commissioner of police of the area.

A BBMP official the number of infections in the city is still on the higher side and hence it was decided to limit public celebrations to a maximum of three days.