Idol Immersion To Shift From Lakes To Safer Sites; NGT Ban Pushes BMC To Build 4 Dedicated Ghats

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has begun developing permanent, dedicated immersion ghats at alternative locations after directions issued last year by National Green Tribunal (NGT) barred immersion of idols in major water bodies.

Officials of BMC’s Lake Conservation Cell said that acting on NGT order to protect city’s iconic lakes from pollution, idol immersion during upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri will not be permitted at traditional lake ghats.

Construction is underway at Malikhadi and inside campus of Barkatullah University (BU). Two more sites at Sanjeev Nagar and Neelbadh have been finalised and tenders processed. Work at these locations is expected to start soon.

Officials said planning for new ghats was completed last year but project remained stalled. With Ganesh Chaturthi approaching, civic body has fast-tracked execution. Recent site inspections have been carried out and BMC Commissioner Sanskriti Jain is closely monitoring progress.

Immersion in Upper, Lower lakes banned

Following NGT directions, immersion of idols in Upper Lake (Bada Talab) and Lower Lake (Chhota Talab) has been completely prohibited. The ban was enforced during last year’s Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri as well, though absence of fully developed alternative ghats created logistical challenges for the civic body.

Proposed arrangement

At present, immersion arrangements are made at Bairagarh, Malikhadi, Prempura, Khatlapura, Hathai Kheda Dam and Arch Bridge ghats. Bairagarh, located away from Upper Lake, is already developed. The corporation is also considering further strengthening of infrastructure at Prempura ghat.

Official response

BMC Executive Engineer Pramod Malviya said four dedicated sites under construction or in pipeline aim to safeguard ecological health of Bhopal’s historic lakes. “If construction continues at current pace, new immersion facilities are expected to be ready before festive season begins,” he said.