The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will soon be implementing a ban on the use of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols from next year as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines.
For this, the civic body has convened a meeting to create awareness among the idol makers.
Civic official stated that the idol makers start their work a few months early, so to implement the ban successfully next year they are working on it in advance.
BMC has called a meeting next month to discuss the ban and will inform them about the guidelines. They are also collecting data from the 24 administrative wards in the city about the number of POP idols immersed this year.
Meanwhile, on the other hand, the idol makers want the civic authorities to suggest ways of replacing harmful chemicals with eco-friendly materials, instead of just implementing a blanket ban.
Accordingly, the BMC has sought suggestions from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) on alternatives for POP, said sources in the BMC.
But before getting any alternative the civic officials' hurry to implement the ban has upset the idol makers and sarvajanik Ganeshotsav mandals.
For those unversed, the CPCB issued guidelines in May 2020, banning POP idols which are said to be the cause of pollution in water bodies. However, the sudden ban will affect the livelihood of idol makers, so on their request, it was postponed to one year.
While this year the Ganeshotsav was celebrated after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, as a special case the BMC allowed to buy and sell the POP idols. However, before implementing the ban the civic authority has decided to discuss it with the idol makers and explain to them its importance.
Share
Tweet
