Ganesh Chaturthi: Green board asked to crack down on Plaster of Paris idol makers

Ahead of the Ganesha festival, which begins in September, officials of the environment department have been asked to crack down on those making Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols.

In response to directives from Eshwar B Khandre, Minister for Forest and Environment, authorities conducted a raid on a property adjacent to Vivekananda College in Kengeri’s Gudimavu.

They took action against a man named Srinivas for making a substantial number of idols using PoP and chemically hazardous paints.

"He failed to produce documents to show that permission was obtained from any authority to make the idols. Despite a closure notice issued on August 17, 2019, Srinivas continued to operate. Instructions have been given to initiate legal proceedings against the unit and shut it down," Khandre said.

As per a directive from the National Green Tribunal, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) enforced a ban on the production and sale of PoP idols in July 2016 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Some states had already banned PoP idols as far back as 2004.

Nonetheless, manufacturers persist in flouting this regulation due to the perceived ease and lower costs associated with creating PoP idols as opposed to clay ones. Temporary idol-making setups that emerge in the lead-up to Ganesh Chaturthi have encountered numerous complaints of rule violations.