The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will be providing open spaces for making and selling/distributing clay Ganesh idols, commissioner MT Krishna Babu has said.

The commissioner held a meeting with NGOs for promoting use of clay Ganesh idols, at the GHMC head office on Thursday. 

The GHMC has taken up the initiative to protect the environment from hazardous chemicals used for Ganesh idols made of plaster of Paris.

The GHMC will be providing mud/clay blocks to schools that come forward to join the clay Ganesh drive. GHMC will give permission to NGOs 15 days prior to Ganesh festival for setting up clay idol stalls. The commissioner has instructed all deputy commissioners to coordinate with the NGOs for using parks for making clay Ganesh idols.

The GHMC will be coordinating with the BC Corporation and banks for loans to NGOs on subsidy in this connection.

The government is spending around `300 crore for regeneration of Hussainsagar and desilting is being taken up, the commissioner said. He opined schools have to promote the concept and district collectors will be urged to coordinate with school managements to create awareness to protect the environment.

Assistant medical officers will coordinate with schools for the distribution of clay and other materials to them.

The commissioner said the height of Ganesh idols is a sensitive issue and the government will take a proper decision in future.