Surat: Amid chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya” and a steady stream of devotees accompanying their beloved deities to the immersion points, Surat’s Ganesh visarjan continued into Saturday night, with the exercise extending at some locations due to the large number and size of idols brought for immersion.According to data shared by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), 71,938 Ganesh idols were immersed over the two-day exercise. Of these, 10,546 idols measuring more than nine feet were immersed at the three designated sea immersion points.Hazira recorded the immersion of 6,412 large idols, while 1,433 were immersed at Dumas and 2,701 at Magdalla. Officials said immersion at Hazira would continue through Saturday night as a large number of huge idols arrived there for visarjan.The remaining 61,392 smaller idols were immersed at 21 artificial ponds set up by the civic body across the city. SMC officials said immersion at these ponds was completed by around 2am, following which dewatering operations were undertaken. The water was sent for recycling, while the remains of the idols were transported to the sea.Anil Biscuitwala, president of the Surat Shaher Ganesh Utsav Samiti, said around 9,000 idols were immersed at the same locations where they had been installed, reflecting a growing preference among citizens for more eco-friendly celebrations.“It is high time we considered the environmental impact of huge idols and thought about reducing their size,” he said.Samiti officials said they were also working to create awareness about directing funds spent on Ganesh celebrations towards welfare activities rather than large idols.In another initiative, the SMC facilitated the collection of decorative material used on idols. Women members of NGOs collected the material, which will be recycled and reused to make other products.
