Business as usual for idol makers, nightmare for environmentalists
Pulkit Vasudha
Ahmedabad, June 10:With Ganesh festival just two months away, idol makers of Gulbai Tekra in Gujarat are busy catering to orders for idols from as far as Hyderabad and Pune.
The environmentalists, meanwhile, are crying hoarse over the violation of guidelines issued by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB).
This year too, the idol makers have bought the required quantities of Plaster of Paris, fibre, coconut husk, distemper and oil paints for use, despite the guidelines prohibiting the use of non-biodegradable substances in idols meant for immersion.
Arjun Lakabhai Raghav, a popular idol maker in the area, said, “We will go bankrupt if we make and sell clay idols. Our customers want huge, brightly painted idols for which we need to use Plaster of Paris and oil paint.” The guidelines state that only idols made of clay should be immersed in water to minimise water pollution.
“Last year, the idol makers of Gulbai Tekra and Ramdev Nagar made almost 5,000 large and small idols of Plaster of Paris. This year, we have already started receiving orders from the neighbouring towns and Ganesh Mandals of South India,” said Dinesh Naran Bati, another idol maker. Clay costs up to Rs 6.50 per kilogram, whereas Plaster of Paris comes cheaper at Rs 3.30 per kilogram. A 12 feet idol requires over 180 kilograms of Plaster of Paris.
“We work six-seven months a year making idols for Ganesh Chaturthi. Sales before the festival bring in barely Rs 35,000. It is difficult to sustain on that amount for the entire year and many migrate to Mumbai, Satara, Sholapur and Jaipur during the off season in search of work,” said Dilip Ganeshbhai Solanki, who makes bangles in Jaipur between November to April. Even customers prefer Plaster of Paris to clay. “We prefer to use Plaster of Paris idols because they are about half the price of clay idols and more easily available,” said Parag Nayak, president of the Sarvjanik Ganesh Mandal. “Only idols below five feet are immersed. The larger idols are gifted to religious institutions,” he clarified.
Environmentalist Mahesh Pandya has a different take on the situation. “Plaster of Paris idols should be banned completely, but the use of clay idols should also be discouraged. Clay is found in the most fertile top layer of the soil which takes million of years to be replenished,” he said. Pandya feels the guidelines are only a fraction of the responsibility on the government’s shoulders. “There is no public awareness and no action has been taken against the offenders. Public notices a few days before Ganesh Chaturthi are an evasion of responsibility,” he said.
Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam said, “We have not yet launched any awareness programme to prevent the immersion of idols in water bodies this year. We will start now.” Sanjeev Tyagi, member secretary of the GPCB, said, “Guidelines do not have the force of law, but we will try to make them enforceable this year.” For Pandya, the immersion of idols is “a direct contempt of the Water Act, which prohibits the pollution of general water bodies” and “though environmentalists have been opposing it for years, the government has remained passive to the problem.”
Source: Indian Express