Pune: Students of College of Engineering Pune (CoEP) tried to create awareness amongst people about environment-friendly immersion at Vriddheshwar-Siddheshwar Ghat near Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday.

The group comprised around 56 students across branches and years of COEP. "We divided ourselves into groups and tried to convince people to immerse the Ganesh idols in the tanks instead of rivers. We also convinced them to take off the nirmalya and give it to us instead of throwing it in the river. While most people agreed to give us the nirmalya, we weren't very successful in the other drive. Only a few of those who had decided to immerse the idol in the river changed their mind and immersed it in the tank instead," said Shubham Bafna, one of the student coordinators of the event.

"Our students have been carrying out this drive for 10 to 12 years, and every year, the number of people we manage to convince to celebrate an eco-friendly festival increases," said Koshy Thomas, another student coordinator.