Despite curbs, over 4,000 PoP Ganesha idols immersed in Bengaluru
Over 4,000 plaster of Paris Ganesha idols were immersed in Bengaluru despite strict enforcement measures to curb their use.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, in coordination with municipality officials and the police, launched a strict enforcement drive and seized over 3,000 Ganesha idols made of PoP.
Updated - September 16, 2026 06:44 pm IST - Bengaluru
At least 4,280 PoP idols were immersed across the five city corporations during September 14 and 15. | Photo Credit: File photo
Despite an enforcement effort to curb plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesha idols this year, the streets of Bengaluru still witnessed thousands of PoP idols being immersed during the two-day immersion period on September 14 and 15.
Data from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) shows that at least 4,280 PoP idols were immersed across the five city corporations during the two days. This included 3,512 idols on September 14 and 768 on September 15.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), in coordination with municipality officials and the police, launched a strict enforcement drive and seized over 3,000 Ganesha idols made of PoP. The KSPCB also warned against using immersing Ganesha idols made with PoP idols in lakes, stating that it is a violation of law and is punishable by a penalty and imprisonment ranging from a minimum of one and a half years up to six years.
However, the GBA’s statistics covering immersions at permanent lake locations, temporary artificial tanks and kalyanis, and mobile tanks, show that PoP idols continued to account for a significant number of immersions despite efforts to restrict their use.
On September 14, the West City Corporation recorded the highest number of PoP idol immersions at 1,744, followed by Central with 548, South with 630, East with 424, and North with 167 . On September 15, the West corporation recorded 342, followed by East with 170, Central with 114, South with 132, and North with 10.
In all, Bengaluru recorded the immersion of 1,97,744 Ganesha idols, including earthen ones, across the five city corporations under the GBA on September 14 and 15, according to data compiled by the civic bodies.
Published - September 16, 2026 06:43 pm IST
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