MAPUSA
With Ganesh Chaturthi drawing thousands of devotees to local immersion sites every year, residents of Pirna in Bardez have demanded a permanent immersion ghat with steps at the Thorli Chandei riverbank, citing safety concerns and the lack of basic facilities.
The demand comes amid the difficult conditions under which Ganesh idols are immersed after the one-and-a-half-day, five-day, seven-day, nine-day and eleven-day celebrations.
Pirna, in the Tivim Assembly constituency, has two or three designated immersion sites. However, the Thorli Chandei riverbank is the main location, serving devotees from five or six major wards. Residents said the site lacks basic infrastructure, forcing people to place idols in the mud along the riverbank before immersing them.
Locals said the situation has become more difficult since sand mining in the river stopped.
Earlier, sand mining workers at the site helped devotees during the immersion process. With mining activities discontinued and no boats stationed along the riverbank, residents now have to enter the river themselves to immerse the idols.
They also said years of sand extraction have left the riverbed deep and uneven, making it unsafe. Reports of crocodiles in the river have further increased fears for the safety of devotees entering the water.
Residents pointed to the immersion facility at neighbouring Vazri in Pernem, across the river, where a properly built platform and stepped ghat allow devotees to carry out immersions safely and with dignity.
Local residents Umesh Naik and Omkar Naik urged the authorities to build a similar facility at the Thorli Chandei site.
They appealed to the village panchayat, the Zilla Panchayat member and local MLA Nilkanth Halarnkar to take immediate steps to develop the immersion point. They also urged Fisheries Minister Halarnkar to pursue the project with the State government.
The residents further appealed to Rajya Sabha MP Sadanand Tanavde to support the long-pending demand so that devotees can immerse Ganesh idols in a safe and organised manner.
