No height cap on Ganesh idol says Telangana government

Hyderabad: Even as the pandal organisers are alleging that the police authorities are imposing restrictions, the State government on Saturday said that it has no intention of imposing any limit on the height of the idols.

Animal Husbandry Minister T Srinivas Yadav held a meeting with the police, Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi and other pandal organisers on celebration of 11-day Ganesh festival. Stating that the government had supported the Ganesh festival every year and made all arrangements on behalf of GHMC, Srinivas Yadav said that in the wake of the corona crisis, the government wants to take an opinion on how to celebrate the festival. On the doubts raised by the Samithi, the Minister said that the government has no intention to impose any restrictions on the height of the idol. "It is the responsibility of the government to ensure welfare of the people. Another meeting will be organised in four days time and take a decision," said Srinivas Yadav.

Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi general secretary Bhagwanth Rao demanded the government to ensure that all arrangements are made for the festival. He recalled that the Samithi had called off the mass immersion procession this year in wake of the corona crisis. He said that neither the government nor the pandal organisers should focus on the height of the idol. He wanted the GHMC to provide cranes and other facilities and called upon the organisers to immerse idols in water bodies only with minimum gathering. Samithi president G Raghava Reddy said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao should participate in the festival.

BJP MLA from Goshamahal T Raja Singh demanded the government to issue guidelines for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. "A large number of people from my constituency are dependent on Ganesh idol making for their livelihood and cancelling the celebration at the last moment will add to their woes. They are totally confused at this point of time whether there will be celebrations like every year, restrictions on the height of the Ganesh idol, idol immersion procession, or no celebrations at all," said Raja Singh. The BJP MLA said that bringing in restrictions on the height will not help because the artisans will not be able to make the idol in time. The festival starts with Ganesh Chaturthi on August 22 and ends on Ananta Chaturdashi on September 1.