Indore : The City is all set to celebrate Ganesha festival this Thursday but what is hurting the administration is the high price of eco-friendly idols, which are 5 times more than the plaster of Paris (POP) idols.
The high price will definitely affect the district administration’s move to make the city water bodies free from immersion of POP idols as people may go for these idols due to high cost of clay models.
Every year, media, NGOs and other social bodies urge people against use of POP idols and their ill-affect on the environment, particularly on water bodies and they even discourage people not to purchase such idols.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) also urged people not to immerse POP and synthetic painted idols in the water bodies because they pollute them. But, the higher price of eco-friendly idols would definitely hurt the purpose.
This correspondent conducted a survey and find out that higher price of clay idols is the main reason for purchasing POP idols. It is found that the prices of eco-friendly idols are at least 5 times more than the POP idols. The minimum price of a small sized clay idol costs Rs 125-150 while the POP idol of the same size costs only Rs 30.
Prabhakar Madav Pranjape, who is selling eco-friendly Ganesha idols for the 10 years at his Tilak Path shop, says: ‘Almost 90% eco-friendly idols are purchased from Pen in Maharashtra. These idols are made of clay brought from Gujarat. These things add higher prices to eco-friendly idols. He said that last year he gave order for 2200 idols from Pen and sold 2160 pieces. This year he asked for 3000 and hoping to sale all of them.
Pankaj Mansuria, a young shopkeeper of Tilak Path said: “A sculpture gives shape to 50 POP idols in a day while only 5 eco-friendly idols are made during that time.
Despite every effort of the district administration to promote sale of eco-friendly idols, the market is full of POP idols and the price factor helps people to go for anti-environment friendly idols.
