Ahead of Ganeshotsav 2023 BMC says domestic idols should be eco-friendly, bans PoP from home pujas

Ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi 2023 which is in September, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken a move to ensure that the festival is celebrated in an eco-friendly manner at least at the domestic level.

In a meeting chaired by BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Thursday, it has been decided that Ganpati idols up to 4 feet must be eco-friendly. The civic body has also warned that any Plaster of Paris idols at domestic pujas will be banned.

Clay for idols, free space for sculptors

The BMC has suggested making the eco-friendly Ganpati idols using clay and other sustainable materials. For making eco-friendly Ganpati idols, one free space will be provided by the civic body to sculptors in each ward, it has been said. Shadu soil or clay will be brought from various parts of the state or even from outside the state and supplied to the idol makers if required.

Fees and deposit for pandals waived off

The BMC has also said that they have waived off the fees and deposit for setting up public Ganpati Pandals this year as per the orders of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The CM has also instructed the civic body to refund the fees and deposits of last year’s Ganpati pandals within seven days.

Popular among celebrities

Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi with eco-friendly idols and immersion in a tub at home is being practiced by many people since the last few years, thanks to increasing awareness regarding the impact Plaster of Paris idols, plastic, cement and toxic chemical-based colours leave on water bodies post immersion and its overall negative impact on the environment.

Mumbai-based celebrities, especially film stars have been trying to spread awareness about this for quite some time now. Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan, Dia Mirzia, Sanjay Dutt, Shradhha Kapoor television actor Rithvik Dhanjani and several other celebrities observed the festival in an eco-friendly manner last year also encouraging their fans to do the same and protect the environment.