Maharashtra Govt Seeks Bombay HC Nod To Continue Immersion Of Large PoP Ganesh Idols In Natural Water Bodies

Mumbai, July 1: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday sought permission from the Bombay High Court to continue allowing immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols above six feet in natural water bodies this year, while idols below six feet would be immersed only in artificial ponds, as was permitted last year.

State Seeks Continuation Of Arrangement

Advocate General Milind Sathe urged the division bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Kamal Khata to continue the arrangement approved by the court in April 2025.

Sathe informed the court that the state has started a pilot project under which large PoP idols, after immersion, would be collected, processed and recycled. “We are starting a pilot project where idols of over six feet would be melted and processed. The PoP would then be recycled. We will study the results with the help of experts and decide whether it can be used,” he submitted.

The bench questioned the state on why it was proposing recycling only for PoP idols and not for traditional Shadu clay idols.

Appearing for some PoP idol makers, advocate Uday Warunjikar argued that the issue also involved religious faith.

Court To Hear Petitions Finally

The court, however, did not grant the state's request immediately. Observing that similar applications were being made every year, the bench said that instead of passing different interim orders annually, it would finally hear and decide all the petitions. The matter will now be taken up for final hearing.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Thane-based environmentalist Rohit Joshi, through advocate Ronita Bhattacharya, and others, including clay idol makers, seeking strict implementation of the Central Pollution Control Board's 2020 guidelines prohibiting the manufacture and immersion of PoP idols in natural water bodies.

Petitions have also been filed by PoP idol makers challenging the CPCB guidelines, contending that they violated their fundamental right to livelihood.

Committee Reports Submitted

During the hearing, the state placed before the court reports of a Technical Committee and an Expert Scientific Committee constituted pursuant to the High Court's earlier directions. Both reports favour a phased, science-based approach to managing PoP idols instead of an immediate ban.

The court has kept the matter for hearing after two weeks.

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What The Committees Recommended

● No immediate ban on PoP idols; adopt a phased, scientific approach.

● Launch pilot recycling projects in major cities, including Mumbai.

● Study the environmental impact of PoP and clay idols.

● Set up separate collection and recycling systems for used PoP idols.

● Expert panel identifies calcination as the most practical method to recycle PoP into reusable material for idols, plaster boards, cement and other products.

● Promote eco-friendly paints and strengthen public awareness on idol disposal.

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