Even as denizens of Sangam City joined crores of other Indians in celebrating the festival of lights, few gave a thought to purchasing ecofriendly idols.

On Saturday, people made beelines at stalls selling idols of Lord Ganesha and Laxmi. However, while most chose the brightest and most colourful idols, only some gave a thought that many such idols would eventually end up polluting rivers with lethal metals like lead.