Give us sand to make idols

Ganesh mandals ask government, after they receive notices directing idols be limited to 6 ft and made of sand or other eco-friendly material

The government has imposed some specific guidelines with regard to material used to make Ganesh idols, and some craftsmen are prepared to follow the rules provided the government supplies the sand required for making them, while others are finding it difficult to digest the thought.


Mandal officials say that they have not received any kind of intimation from the government with regards to making eco-friendly idols

Though the government claims to have sent notices to Ganesh mandals across the city on February 11, stating that Ganesha idols should be limited to 6 feet and made from sand or any other eco-friendly material, mandal officials claim that they have not received any such information.

This notice was passed mainly to stop environmental pollution caused by Plaster of Paris (PoP), which does not dissolve in water and also affects marine life.

Shiv Sena held a meeting at Shiv Sena Bhavan on February 12, which was overseen by the party's executive president Uddhav Thackeray and attended by over 500 Ganesh Mandal members from across the city.

Thackeray said, "Firstly, it is unfair that only Hindus are being made to follow rules and regulations, and secondly we cannot do what they are asking because the livelihood of over 45,000 families in the city would be affected if the rule to make idols using sand instead of POP was enforced."

He also added that he would take up the matter in Parliament.

MiD DAY spoke to Swapnil Parab, secretary of Lalbaug Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mandal, who said, "The government has not said whether they can provide us with sufficient amounts of sand for making idols.
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Also, if sand is used then the cost increases. While it takes craftsmen only two months to create a 22-ft idol using PoP, using sand for an idol of similar size would take 4 to 5 months.

And even if we use sand, the idol will not be strong enough and the risk of immersing an idol of this size goes up ten-fold compared to PoP idols." Parab added that even sand is not eco-friendly and claimed that IIT hadproved this earlier.

Mangesh Patade, secretary of Tejukaya Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav trust said, "There are many mandals in the city that should take the responsibility to ensure that they have sufficient man power to immerse the idols safely. Also, the practice of using PoP cannot stop all of a sudden."