Amidst the gathering of countless devotees for the immersion of Ganesh idols in the Hussainsagar on Thursday, Tank Bund experienced a simultaneous blend of order and chaos.
Despite a directive from the High Court restricting immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols, Tank Bund retained its popularity among devotees on the concluding day of Ganesh Chaturthi.
Thursday morning saw a surge of devotees eager to immerse the idols swiftly and avoid the crowd, while others trickled in late in the afternoon and evening.
At Lower Tank Bund, where the authorities had strategically barricaded the railings along the footpath’s edge, designated areas with window-like openings allowed devotees to immerse idols. Positioned along these spaces were individuals assisting in the proper immersion of idols.
In one such instance, a 10-year-old boy was found risking his safety to aid devotees in the immersion process. Even devotees turned mute spectators, as nobody questioned the little boy’s presence. He shared, “I’ve been here since early morning. My elder brother is assisting devotees on the other side. I charge ₹100 from people for the work. I go downstairs and slowly immerse the idols.”
While food vendors thrived in business, mobile toilets situated on the opposite side of the road presented a challenge. The Mobile Bio Toilet bus at Lower Tank Bund emitted a strong odour, dissuading people from using the facility.
“We have to cover our nose with scarves or handkerchiefs to use the washroom. Since morning, hundreds of people must have used it, and the authorities should have deployed more buses to distribute the load,” said one user. Another person pointed out how there was a leakage in the bus washroom which was spilling onto the road.
Some devotees were observed carelessly discarding items on footpaths and roads. Despite the presence of dustbins at regular intervals, people seemed indifferent. Government-installed benches were re-purposed on Thursday to break coconuts in observance of religious rituals.
