Hyderabad

GHMC and ISKCON Collect Over a Tonne of Sacred Material in Yellareddyguda

By Editorial·13 June 2026·1 min read

A photorealistic wide shot of a community recycling drive outside a traditional South Indian temple in Hyderabad under b...

On Saturday, June 13, 2026, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and ISKCON collected over a tonne of sacred religious material during the second edition of the Project Udvasana drive at the Sri Hanuman Temple in Yellareddyguda, Ameerpet. The initiative was launched to facilitate the respectful and environmentally responsible disposal of religious items through traditional rituals and recycling.

The collection drive took place between 8 am and 11 am, drawing a large number of local residents who arrived with bags of sacred items. The materials collected included framed photographs of deities, spiritual books, wall and table calendars, and idols made of wood, plastic, and Plaster of Paris (PoP).

According to Srikar Reddy, the GHMC official in charge of the Udvasana drive, many people struggle with how to properly discard sacred items. He noted that residents often leave these materials on temple premises, near trees, along roadsides, or send them along with Ganesh idol processions during immersions.

To address this, the project incorporates both ritual and recycling processes. Once the materials are collected, the temple priest performs a traditional Udvasana puja. Following the ritual, the items are segregated into categories such as cardboard, wood, plastic, and glass, and are then sent to recyclers for reuse.

Local residents expressed strong support for the initiative. Lalitha, a retired central government employee from Malkajgiri, said that throwing away sacred material as litter is often viewed as a sin, and praised the GHMC for establishing a systematic disposal process. Supriya, an IT professional, called it the right way to dispose of such items and urged the corporation to expand the drive across Hyderabad to build wider awareness.

The Yellareddyguda drive follows a pilot project held the previous week at the ISKCON temple in Banjara Hills. Organisers have stated that those interested in partnering with the sustainability initiative can contact them at [email protected].