MUMBAI, July 25 -- In a major step towards promoting environmentally responsible Ganeshotsav celebrations, the Bombay High Court on Thursday made it mandatory for all Ganesh idols-whether made of clay or Plaster of Paris (PoP)-measuring up to six feet in height to be immersed in artificial ponds provided by municipal corporations and local bodies across Maharashtra. The order came a day after the state government informed the court that it had already made immersion in artificial tanks compulsory for idols up to five feet tall. Expanding the mandate, the bench of chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice Sandeep Marne observed, "We have to make an endeavour that the impact of immersion of idols is bare minimum on the environment. Therefore, idols up to 6 feet should compulsorily be immersed in artificial tanks provided by local bodies." The court also directed the state government to ensure its idol immersion policy is implemented "in letter and spirit" and asked all civic authorities in Maharashtra to make appropriate arrangements to enforce the rule. The aforesaid guidelines of the state government for immersion of idols shall apply to all festivals wherein practice of immersion of idols is followed which are to be celebrated till March 2026. During the hearing, senior advocate Milind Sathe, representing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), told the court that 85,306 Ganesh idols measuring less than 6 feet were immersed in artificial ponds across Mumbai last year. With the new directive extending the rule to all idols up to six feet, the number of idols expected to be immersed in artificial tanks this year would rise to approximately 1,95,306-an increase of over 110,000. Sathe added that in 2023, 3,865 idols between 5 and 10 feet in height and 3,998 idols above 10 feet-many of them made of PoP-were immersed in natural water bodies. He pointed out that arranging for the immersion of larger idols in artificial ponds had presented significant logistical challenges in the past, and the new policy would require substantial infrastructural and administrative planning....