The district administration and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board have issued guidelines to be followed in making Vinayaka idols for Vinayaka Chathurthi and during the celebrations that end with the immersion of idols.
District Collector Anand Mohan said only clay, plant fibres and eco-friendly paints should be used for making the idols to be immersed in sea, waterbodies and the river. Insoluble Plaster of Paris, plastic, thermocol, etc. should be avoided. CCTV cameras should be fitted in the permitted places where the idols were installed for worship under the metal sheet sheds. Cone speakers should not be used in these places and box speakers should be fitted after getting due permission from the police.
The idols should be taken in procession along the permitted routes and those in inebriated condition would not be allowed to participate. The idol procession should not be stopped in front of or near other places of worship and slogans should not be raised. The processionists should immerse the idols before the prescribed time and return home peacefully.
The local bodies had been instructed to collect the decorative articles floating on the waterbodies after the idol immersion and remove it safely.
The idols should be immersed at the artificial tank near Peratchiamman Temple, Uvari, Chettikulam and Thillaivanamthoppu beaches, Karukurichi and Vagaikulam ponds after being taken in procession along the permitted route, Mr. Anand Mohan said.
Thoothukudi Collector Vishu Mahajan said the idols, measuring less than 10 feet (including the pedestal), should be installed in public places after getting permission from the officials designated for the purpose. Public address systems with box speakers should be used in these places only for two hours in the morning and the evening. The speakers should not be installed near other places of worship, hospitals and educational institutions.
The idols to be installed in Thoothukudi district should be immersed at Terespuram, Muthaiahpuram, Tiruchendur and Kulasekarapattinam beaches after taking in procession via permitted routes in peaceful manner on four-wheelers, Mr. Mahajan said.
In Kanniyakumari district, 10 places – Kanniyakumari, Sothuvilai, Chinnavilai, Sanguthurai, Vettumadai, Midalam and Thengaipattinam beaches, Pallikondan check-dam, Thirparappu Falls and Tamirabharani River – have been selected for idol immersion.
High-mast lights, public address systems, CCTV cameras, etc. would be fitted to regulate crowds gathering for idol immersion, said M. Prathap.
Published – September 09, 2026 07:19 pm IST
