Police announcement on Chaturthi celebrations
The Superintendent of Police, Coimbatore Rural District, G. Karthikeyan, has announced that the number of idols and the places for installation would be the same as last year for the Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations on September 15.The organisers of the festival should ensure to use eco-friendly idols made of clay (unburnt) and papier-mâché as advised by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB).The idols should not exceed five ft height and when mounted on vehicles for immersion procession, they should not exceed the height of 10 ft. This is to prevent the idols from coming into contact with the live electric wires. When the idols are to be installed at private places, the consent letter should be obtained from the premises owner.The organisers should obtain permission letter for using public address systems and should comply with the conditions imposed in the permission letter.Installation of idols should not cause hardship to the members of the other faith or their religious worship practices.Installation of idols would not be permitted near educational institutions, hospitals and places of worship of the other communities.The letter seeking permission should contain the details such as height of the idol, organisers’ name, address, phone number and all other relevant details. Every organiser should form a committee with twenty members who could assist in providing protection round-the-clock. The photographs of persons to be named for guarding the idols should also furnished to the police.
Inflammable materials should be avoided at the place of installation of idols and make-shift roof structures should be made of only iron, cement sheets and green palm leaves only.From the date of installation to the time of immersion bursting of crackers would not be allowed. Those in the immersion procession should avoid the use of provocative slogans against the members of the other faith or political parties. Details of vehicle to be used for immersion procession with the name of the vehicle owner, copies of registration certificate, driving licence should be furnished in advance. Immersion of idols would not be allowed after dusk to prevent unpleasant incidents.The organisers should stick to the schedule and should avoid making requests for changing the schedule in respect of installation or immersion. The co-operation of the organisers is of paramount importance in ensuring a peaceful Chaturthi celebrations, he said.
To prevent polluting water bodies while immersing the Vinayaka idols, the District Collector, Neeraj Mittal, has requested the public to use only idols made of clay (unburnt). Idols painted with chemical coatings should be avoided.The public should desist from immersing them along tank bunds and instead they should be immersed in the middle of the water body at least 500 meters away from the bunds. The following water bodies such as lakes, tanks and bunds have been identified for permitting the immersion, the Singanallur tank, Muthannankulam, Samalapuram, Sirumugai, Elakkampalayam, Mettuppalayam Subramaniar Koil and Thekkampatti in Bhavani river, PAP canals at Andipalayam, Pongalur, S.V. Puram and Kedimedu, Ambarampalayam river, Noyyal river, SV Puram canal, Amaravathy river at Kaniyur, Uppar and Nadumalai river.
