Mumbai: Forest Dept to ensure no immersions in Lotus lake

The declaration of 812 acres of the area as forest includes Lotus lake, so the FD will post its staff at the site to prevent immersions in it

After the recent Bombay High Court order banning the immersion of Ganpati idols in Aarey Milk Colony, the Forest Department will increase patrolling there, and its staff will be posted near Lotus lake.

A Forest Department official said, "According to the instructions of the High Court, our staff will be posted near Lotus lake and we will request devotees to follow the instructions of the court and immerse idols at the designated immersion sites as per the BMC."

In Aarey Milk Colony the immersion of majority of the Ganpati idols used to take place at the Chhota Kashmir lake, and some local residents also immersed small idols at Lotus lake, which is a natural water body near Aarey hospital. The declaration of 812 acres of the area as forest includes Lotus lake and so the FD will post its staff at the site to prevent immersions in it.

Residents annoyed

Some of the devotees staying in Aarey Milk colony are not happy with the decision. A devotee said, "We can understand that immersion is not allowed because it's an Eco Sensitive Zone, but the temporary immersion tanks should have been allowed near Aarey Dairy. For people staying inside Aarey, taking the idols all the way outside for immersion will be a challenging task, thanks to the wonderful quality of internal roads in Aarey."

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Locals from the area said BMC has made arrangements for the immersion of idols outside Aarey Colony near the check naka. They complained that the condition of the internal road in Aarey, which goes from Aarey market to Mayur Nagar is not good due to potholes, and many Ganpati mandals and devotees staying in the area are going to face a lot of inconvenience while taking the idols for immersion.