Navi Mumbai bid an emotional farewell to Bappa on Anant Chaturdashi with a green twist this year. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) not only ensured the smooth immersion of 10,678 idols across its eight wards but also honoured over 1,966 citizens who opted for eco-friendly clay idols with special ‘Paryavaran Mitra’ certificates.

The initiative, personally backed by NMMC chief Dr Kailas Shinde, recognised households that installed shadu clay idols and immersed them in artificial ponds, thereby reducing pollution in natural water bodies. Each family received an attractive paper bag and a certificate signed by the commissioner, acknowledging their contribution to an environment-friendly Ganeshotsav.

Despite heavy rains lashing the city, devotees turned up in large numbers at 165 immersion spots, including 143 artificial ponds and 22 natural sites. The civic body deployed rafts, forklifts, and cranes at busy immersion points like Koparkhairane Lake, and also live-streamed the immersion procession at Vashi’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, where Shinde showered flowers on idols departing for visarjan.