150 Ganesh mandals install idols less than 4ft

Nagpur: Much against the popular belief, many Ganesh mandals in the city have opted for smaller idols this year. Data released by the estate department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) revealed that approximately 150 mandals have installed idols less than four feet in height.
Of the 650 mandals who submitted applications to NMC’s 10 zonal offices, around 50% (330) have installed bigger idols. However, there are many mandals which did not mention the height of idols in their applications.
Most mandals that have installed big idols have mentioned Koradi lake as the place where they intend to immerse the idols. Around 150 mandals have informed NMC that they would go for immersion of Ganesh idols at Koradi lake. It is followed by Kolar river, which around 60 mandals have mentioned as immersion place of idols, followed by around 20 in Mouda river, and 10 at Kanhan river.
Many also mentioned Ranara lake, Bina river, Kalamna canal, water bodies in Hingna, lakes in Butibori and Shivangaon etc. On Thursday, officiating municipal administrator and collector Dr Vipin Itankar visited Koradi to inspect an artificial tank alongside Koradi lake, where idols more than four feet height will be immersed.
SP (Nagpur rural) Vijay Magar, additional municipal commissioner Ram Joshi, deputy municipal commissioner of (solid waste management department) Dr Gajendra Mahalle and others were present.
This year's Ganeshotsav has been exempted from restrictions in place for Covid in last two years. In accordance with the eco-friendly Ganeshotsav, like every year, NMC had issued a set of directives. It urged people to immerse Ganesh idols at home or in the 387 artificial tanks to be placed across the city while imposing a complete ban on immersing idols in water bodies inside city limits.