NGT directs T.N. govt. to collect fee for immersing Vinayaka idols in waterbodies under the ‘polluters pay’ principle

NGT directs Tamil Nadu to fix fees for idol immersion in waterbodies to ensure pollution responsibility.

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Tamil Nadu authorities to fix the fee to be collected from persons seeking permission to immerse Vinayaka idols in designated waterbodies during the Vinayaka Chathurti festival so that the burden of cleaning and restoring the waterbodies is borne by associations or individuals who are permitted to immerse the idols.

Based on an analysis of the water samples collected by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board before and after the idol immersion, the Bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, noted that wherever large idols were immersed, especially in urban areas, the fresh waterbodies were polluted. 

Though pollution could not be detected in the sea because of the impact of dilution, large quantities of remnants of the idols had been recovered, it said. According to the guidelines, only idols made of natural and eco-friendly materials such as clay and mud are allowed to be immersed in waterbodies. However, this is not being followed owing to poor awareness and enforcement. 

At an earlier hearing of this petition, the Bench had formed a committee, headed by the Additional Chief Secretary to the Departments of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests, to simplify the guidelines for idol immersion in consonance with the norms of the Central Pollution Control Board of India (CPCB).

According to a report submitted before the Bench in 2023, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board collated a list of 48 idol-manufacturers and 25,519 organisers who were issued permits to install Vinayaka idols. As many as 275 unapproved manufacturers were noticed during inspections.

Ordering the committee to convene a meeting at least six months before the festival for notifying waterbodies, creating artificial tanks, and preventing manufacture of plaster of paris idols, the Bench said the fee for idol immersion must depend on the size of the idol to be immersed.