Nilesh Shinde, the organiser of the Mumbaicha Samrat Ganpati at Khetwadi, is confused. Just as many other organisers of Mumbai’s famed Ganeshotsav, he has also been preoccupied with the Bombay High Court’s recent order. The Court, in its order, asked all civic bodies to intimate sarvajanik Ganesh mandals that they have to mandatorily follow the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines of 2020 and shun PoP idols altogether. Yet, not all are aware of the rationale behind this.
“Why didn’t they put a ban on PoP for the past so many years? It is not as if people have started celebrating Ganapati recently or using PoP idols recently. We have been using PoP idols for so many years,” asks Nilesh.
CPCB’s guidelines and loopholes
The CPCB guidelines were the result of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by environmental activist Rohit Joshi with two other activists and nine idol-makers. Hearing the case of Janhit Manch vs the State of Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court directed the central government in 2008 to formulate guidelines for idol immersion. Accordingly, the CPCB created guidelines in 2010, revising them in 2020. These include guidelines for idol-makers, pooja organising committees, local authorities and for idol immersion in different water bodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers and the sea.
The problem with the implementation of these guidelines lies in its slightly tricky language. For instance, the very first guideline says that the use of idols made of natural, biodegradable material free from Plaster of Paris, plastic and thermocol “should be encouraged, allowed and promoted”. The very next line says, “Idols made up of Plaster of Paris (PoP) shall be banned.”
Similarly, the guideline about the use of paints states, “non-biodegradable chemical dyes/oil paints for painting idols should be strictly prohibited.” This is followed by “Enamel and synthetic dye-based paints on idols should be discouraged.”
The document is peppered with such language allowing leeway for non-compliance. Rohit confirms that such loopholes are being exploited. “It was MCGM’s counsel’s submission that those guidelines are not statutory, so you cannot force anyone to comply with those guidelines,” he says.
Read more: Mumbai steadily moves towards eco-friendly Ganpati celebrations
BMC’s reaction to the court’s directive
In the wake of the recent High Court order to local civic bodies on August 31st, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is taking steps, though it may be too little, too late.
An official from the office of the Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Zone 2) which is taking care of Ganesh Chaturthi preparations revealed that 3560 applications were received from sarvajanik Ganesh mandals this year, of which 1893 had received permissions last week. In all likelihood they have already installed their idols. Moreover, a total of 927 applications were under process, some were rejected, and others were under scrutiny.
When asked what steps the BMC was planning to take if the mandals who have yet to get permission, install a PoP idol despite the court’s order, he said the matter was under discussion, and a decision would be taken in a day or two. Even Rohit is not expecting many changes this year, aware that it is too late for effective implementation, but is hoping things will be different next year.
What do sarvajanik mandals say?
Ganpati is worshipped as the ‘remover of obstacles’, vighnaharta. Unfortunately, there seem to be many obstacles in the implementation of the ban of PoP idols. Posing strong resistance to this are the mandals themselves.
Officials at the K-east ward office said that the BMC has been carrying out awareness campaigns in every ward in keeping with the CPCB guidelines even before the court’s order came. They have also met mandal organisers asking them to make the celebration eco-friendly. Though organisers are ready for this, they claim eco-friendly idols such as those of shadu clay are not easily available. On the other hand, the BMC also says that they have provided 671 tonnes of shadu clay free of cost to idol-makers.
Why do a large number of mandal organisers insist on installing PoP idols? Vikas Sanmare, an artist who paints idols explains that at the workshop where he is employed, 80% of the idols are of shadu clay, but none are for sarvajanik mandals.
Private households adopt idols of shadu clay, a natural material that dissolves easily in water. But this very quality of the clay also makes it unsuitable for huge sarvajanik Ganpati idols. Clay idols are more fragile and vulnerable to damage during transport and to rainwater.
Read more: Ganpati 2023: Waste clean-up, sound pollution and eco-friendly initiatives
Nilesh says he is open to using other eco-friendly materials, provided they offer the advantages of PoP: “If we get a clay idol, it will develop so many cracks when we bring it. It is also heavy. Where a PoP idol is one and half tonnes, the clay one will measure 6 to 7 tonnes.”
Vikas demonstrates this by easily lifting a light PoP idol, but shows that a shadu clay idol is heavy. He adds that a clay idol takes around two months to dry once it is made, whereas PoP dries and hardens within hours, making it not only easier to transport but a cheaper option.
Sunil Mayekar who hails from a family of idol-makers says that they use environment-friendly material at their workshop: a mixture of tissue paper and gum reinforced by wires. Not only do they install such an idol at their own mandal, but have provided these idols made of tissue paper to several other mandals too.
Mangesh Kawle, the organiser of the Subhash Road Shree Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal, questions how truly eco-friendly such idols are, considering that they use a binder such as gum. He also claims that such idols don’t dissolve, but float on water. Nilesh voices another problem with these tissue paper idols: they are too expensive to fit into their budget.
Mangesh’s mandal explored other options, especially during the lockdown, but could not switch from PoP because they have had the same idol which measures eight and a half feet years for the past many years. Such a big clay idol will prove too heavy and they do not want to break tradition by bringing a smaller idol in another pattern.
When asked what they would do if the government truly enforces the ban on PoP, mandal organisers said that they do not believe that it shall come to pass, given the history of the issue. The general attitude seemed to indicate that they will cross that bridge if and when they come to it.
Read more: Hot and thirsty? Let’s drink some…microplastics!
‘Green’ Ganesha: Need for firm policies and implementation
| Why are PoP idols harmful for the environment? |
| 1. PoP is obtained from gypsum, the substance which allows it to harden when water is added to it. 2. Excessive quantities of gypsum turns water into hard water thus affecting life forms. 3. PoP makes the water murky with suspended solids and since it takes a long time to dissolve, water remains in that state long after the immersion. 4. Addition of PoP leads to the release of heat. 5. The oil paints used on idols contain heavy metals like lead and cadmium. |
When it comes to implementation, Rohit says, “They (the civic officials) are observing it, but they are doing nothing. They are issuing notices, again just to show that we are doing something about it. They are not taking any preventive actions. They are not stopping manufacturers from manufacturing PoP idols.”
To take concrete actions such as levying fines, the guidelines will have to be firmed up into policies. Moreover, the awareness programmes will have to be strengthened if mandals are to be convinced into compliance.
One of CPCB’s guidelines also refers to imposition of height restrictions of the idol.
A multi-pronged approach is required to solve these problems. As Mumbai celebrates Ganpati with the same fervour, we can hope and pray that Bappa himself will show us the way.