Thane: The Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) officials on Friday had a meeting with the sculptors to appeal to avoid the use of plaster of paris (POP) idols for Ganesh Utsav to avoid environmental pollution. However, the sculptors requested the KDMC officials to postpone the decision this year as more than half of the idols were made and ready.
No ban for last four years
The KDMC due to the request from sculptors at the last moment has been failing to ban the idols of POP in the KDMC jurisdiction for the last four years. The Environmentalists from the city are accusing the KDMC saying that they just announce the POP ban for namesake.
The Nagpur High Court four years back ordered the ban on Plaster of Paris idols in order to prevent environmental pollution.
Harendra Singh a environmentalist from Dombivali said, "Every year the KDMC officials order the ban of POP's for making Ganesh idols but the implementation of the order seems to remain on paper. Eventhough the civic body is appealing to the sculptors not to make idols of POP before Ganeshotsav, the civic body does not taking any concrete step to totally ban it. It seems that the sculptors are not bothered of the civic body order."
POP idols do not dissolve in water
Singh added, "The plaster of Paris idols do not dissolve in water, and it cause water pollution. Due to this, the government is appealing after the court order that festivals should be celebrated using eco-friendly idols. Actually, this order does not seem to be implemented. As POP idols are widely used in Ganeshotsav, the KDMC officials has been appealing to the sculptors for the last four years to provide eco-friendly idols before Ganeshotsav."
Idol sellers yet to register with KDMC
Singh further added, "Last year, the civic body had passed an order requiring the idol sellers to register with the KDMC but no registration of the sellers has been made with the civic body and no information about the POP idol sellers has been collected by the civic body. The POP idols are in high demand as they are cheap and easy to handle. The ban on POP seems to be on paper as these idols are bought in large numbers by devotees."
One of the officer from KDMC environment department on the condition of anonymity said, " If the sculptors will not the follow the POP ban order then strict action can be initiated against them."
