Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner M Lakshminarayana has called upon residents of the city to immerse Ganesha idols that are put up  in public places at designated tanks on or before September 20.

Lakshminarayana told reporters here on Saturday that people will be allowed to immerse idols installed in public places for 11 days from September 9. However, this is not applicable for idols kept at homes and temples, the Commissioner added.

“We appeal to the public to use idols made of mud instead of plaster of Paris, which harms the environment,” he said.

On waste generated during immersion, the Commissioner said bins near immersion tanks have been arranged for the purpose. “We request devotees to remove flowers and other material from idols before immersing. We will make arrangements to transport this waste to the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC),” he said.

He also appealed to temple managements to keep the surroundings clean. “Temples should keep dustbins for  that devotees can segregate waste. The wet waste generated will also be sent to the KCDC,” he said.

He said staff will be available all days near immersion tanks. “I have directed the zonal commissioners to draw control room staff and BBMP gangman on rotation basis,” he said. On the arrangements, Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy said four tanks in core areas of the city and 32 tanks in the newly-added areas have been identified. “Also, people can seek the help of authorised swimmers of the BBMP,” he added.