Deccan Chronicle

TS TO DISTRIBUTE CLAY GANESHAS

Move set to promote eco-friendly festival

- MAHESH AVADHUTHA | DC HYDERABAD, AUG. 2

As part of eco-friendly initiative­s planned by the state government, over a lakh of clay Ganesh idols will be distribute­d before the upcoming Ganesh Chaturti. This was announced by Minister K.T. Rama Rao on his Twitter handle. But almost instantly, the statement was rebuked by Sunita Pandey, a researcher from the city, who re-tweeted, “Ok. Nice plot. Clay fills up lake gradually. Once lake dies, seemingly natural death. Prime land all across Hyderabad available for land grabbing (sic).” This caught the attention of the tech-savvy minister, who makes it a point to check tweets that flood his handle every hour.

He retorted by saying, “By far, this has to be the most imaginativ­e and cynical tweet I have ever seen. Madam, you should start writing fiction. Good luck to you.” This twitter interactio­n provoked several reactions from netizens, with some of them backing the government, while others alle-ging that the state administra­tion remained a mute spectator while lakes were encroached upon in the city. One Seshagiri Rao re-tweeted, “Live fiction is Tellapur Lake that was encroached by a builder but this is not visible to GHMC. Same case with Anandbagh and Kapra lakes (sic).”

A user named Mahesh felt that Sunita Pandey’s point about lakes being encroached by builders was valid. He hoped the government would restore all lakes in Hyderabad.

Ok. Nice plot. Clay fills up lake gradually. Once lake dies, seemingly natural death. Prime land all across Hyderabad available for land grabbing (sic). — SUNITA PANDEY, a researcher from

the city

 ??  ?? Nature-friendly clay Ganesha Idols to be distribute­d by the state government.
Nature-friendly clay Ganesha Idols to be distribute­d by the state government.

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