According to the latest reports, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) retracted its previous notice banning Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols for Ganesh Chaturthi. While the notice was retracted 10 days after issuing it, the civic body has made it compulsory for organizers and citizens to immerse PoP idols in artificial lakes only.
Based on accounts, this development comes in the aftermath of idol makers and artisans requesting the BMC to postpone the ban implementation. This is because many claimed to have brought raw materials, while others even had their PoP idols ready for delivery. The artisans voiced that procuring raw materials at such short notice was not possible.
For those unversed, the Ganpati festivities this year will commence on August 30. On the other hand, on Monday, July 4, a meeting was held with Ganpati festival organisers and various civic departments.
The BMC in a statement said there will be a complete ban on PoP idols in the BMC jurisdiction from the 2023 Ganesh festivities. Thus, it will be compulsory to buy and sell only idols made from environmentally friendly elements such as shadu clay from next year.
Further, it added that this year for Ganesh Chaturthi which will be celebrated two years after COVID-19, in a special case, permission has been accorded to buy and sell PoP idols of Ganesha. But it is compulsory to immerse domestic idols such as those of PoP in artificial lakes.
Moreover, it is also compulsory to write "PoP" on such idols, in order to enable their identification during immersion. Additionally, like the previous two years, the civic body mentioned that the idol's height at home should not be taller than two feet.
Likewise, the idols in public celebrations should be as low in height as possible said the civic body. Similarly, the mandap permits and others are given at the municipal level will be given by means of a single-window scheme online.
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