A good number of people made use of these tankers, instead of opting for buckets or large water filled containers at home.

Nagaraj, a resident of Vijayanagar, said that he opted for the mobile tank this year as he felt it was a better way of immersing the elephant God. He said “There are no designated lakes in this area for immersion. Each year, we used to immerse it in a big bucket. This year, we decided to opt for the mobile tank as we felt that it was a environmentally safe and a more dignified option than a bucket!” 

But there were a few die-hard followers of tradition, who refused to avail the facility.  “Sir, please allow us to follow our tradition. We are old and we do not want to change at this age. Please allow us to have the satisfaction and happiness of following the tradition”.  These were the pleadings of some of the aged people, who came to immerse the idol near the tanks.

“I tried my best to convince them”, a senior official involved in the exercise said.
In fact, one couple argued that their’s was an eco-friendly Ganesha and they would immerse in the tank.
There was a nearly 25 per cent increase in the number of idols immersed in mobile tankers compared to last year. “ I think it is catching up. There will always be exceptions”, a couple who had bought an unpainted Ganesha said.
While the younger generation welcomed the tank immersion, almost all the objections came from people who were old and were unwilling to give up the old ways.

Environmental Officer Gurumurthy said that despite a small number of people, who felt like holding on to the traditions, they were completely happy with the response.