Ganesha Chaturthi heralds the start of the most anticipated ten-day Festival when people across Karnataka welcome their favourite Lord Ganesha to their homes to worship him and seek his blessings. However, in recent years, traditional immersion practices of lakhs of Ganesha idols have been causing environmental concerns, due to the non-degradable waste that get left behind in water bodies. Recognizing that Ganesha worshippers have been on the lookout for eco-friendly solutions that permit them to abide by cultural/religious rituals, Vi has planned this initiative to enable worshippers in bidding farewell to their beloved Ganesha in an environment friendly way.

Specially designed Vi Vehicles will travel to different housing societies in several areas of Bengaluru like Koramangala, Sarjapur Road, Yelahanka, Banashankari, JP Nagar, Indiranagar, Domlur, Malleshwaram, Electronics City, Basaveshwaranagar, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Yeshwatpur, BTM Layout, etc. These vehicles are equipped with immersion tanks, to enable residents to conduct a safe and sustainable Ganesha Visarjane. The initiative aims to provide opportunity to residents to immerse their idols in the mobile immersion tanks at their doorstep. This has been designed to prevent the idols from getting immersed in lakes or ponds which pollute the water bodies and harm the aquatic life due to the presence of toxic paints, accumulation of adornments, sedimentation of water bodies, etc. This drive will also eliminate the need for citizens to travel to crowded water bodies, thus reducing congestion and ensuring an organized and eco-friendly immersion process.

Speaking about the initiative, Anand Dani, Cluster Business Head- AP & Telangana, Karnataka, Vodafone Idea, said “As a brand, Vi believes in celebrating festivals with joy and responsibility. As much as we feel an integral part of the Ganesha festival buzz, we are aware of the impact that the immersion leaves on the environment. In today’s world, people are more environmentally conscious than ever. The Govt. also has been requesting citizens to undertake immersion at home in order to protect water bodies from getting polluted. Vi recognizes this need of the new age Indian and is committed to support the needs of today’s eco-aware citizens. With this initiative, we at Vi are taking a meaningful step to connect with the community and inspire a shared sense of responsibility by helping them carry out Ganesha Visarjan in an eco-friendly manner. We invite all residents to participate in this initiative and join us in promoting a cleaner and greener Bengaluru. I would like to wish all the Residents of Karnataka, a Very Happy Ganesha Festival.”