Guwahati

Noonmati To Install Marble Idols During Durga Puja Celebrations

Sentinel Digital Desk

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Noonmati Sarbajanin Durga Puja Committee has gone innovative to prevent water pollution in the Brahmaputra River during the time of immersion of idols at the end of the annual Durga Puja festival.

The committee will place idols of Maa Durga and other Goddess made of marbles instead clays at the puja mandap at Noonmati this year. The idols which weigh 800 kgs has been made with marbles from Rajasthan. The final touch to the idols was given in Kolkata and it took four months to complete the task. The total cost incurred in making the idols was Rs 8 lakh.

The idols were donated by one Brajen Boro of Noonmati area. Executive Director of Guwahati Refinery Sanjay Manchanda will formally inaugurate the idol at the venue of the Noonmati Sarbajanin Durga Puja Committee on Wednesday.

Bhuban Choudhury, president of Noonmati Sarbajanin Durga Puja Committee told reporters here on Tuesday that pollution of water of the Brahmaputra River in Guwahati due to immersion of thousands of idols made of clays, colours and chemicals at the end of Durga Puja has been a major environment hazard issue. “So we have decided to go innovative to prevent such pollution. Idols made of marbles will be a permanent feature at Noonmati Sarbajanin Durga Puja. The same idols will be worshipped every year,” Choudhury said.

Even though the Pollution Control Board, Assam issues directives and guidelines to puja committees to place environment friendly idols, majority of the puja mandaps hardly follow such directives.