HMDA to distribute 50,000 clay Ganapati idols in Hyderabad at free of cost

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) is planning to distribute 50,000 clay Ganapati idols free of cost in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits on the festive occasion of Ganesh Chathurthi on August 22.

HMDA will set up counters at designated locations under GHMC to distribute the idols to the citizens from August 16. The clay idols will be procured from artisans to support them and the idols will be supplied for free to reduce the usage of idols made of plaster of Paris thus reducing the environmental pollution.

Every year, around 169 Ganapati idols will be immersed in Hussain Sagar. However, the situation turned out to be different this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even as, the height of Khairatabad Ganapati reduced to 9-feet this year due to the pandemic and no prasadam will be distributed to the people.

On Saturday, minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav has appealed to the citizens to celebrate Ganesh Chathurthi in low-key manner. He said that terms and conditions of the festival will be announced soon after a high-level meeting. "In the view of the pandemic, he appealed the volunteer to install small idols to avoid large gatherings," the minister said.