Mumbai: ‘Prevent PoP idols from entering city’

BMC has mandated that household idols must not exceed 4 feet in height

An idol makers' association has requested the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to set up checkpoints to prevent the entry of Plaster of Paris (PoP) statues into the city. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) banned PoP idols four years ago, but they are still being created and sent off to Mumbai.

Vasant Raje, president of the Shree Ganesh Murti Kala Samithi, wrote to civic chief Bhushan Gagarani last week, demanding that the BMC stop PoP idols from entering the city. "Most PoP idols come to the city from outside. BMC officials should be stationed at the city's entry points to prevent their entry. This will help everyone celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly manner."

While the CPCB issued detailed guidelines banning PoP idols, which are said to be harmful to marine ecology and cause water pollution, in May 2020, the BMC decided to completely prohibit them in 2021 as it had received a request for an extension from Ganesh mandals.

According to the civic body's data, around 2.34 lakh Ganesh idols were immersed in Mumbai in 2023.

The BMC has imposed restrictions on the height of household idols. In 2023, it issued a notification stating that household idols should not be above four feet tall and they must be made with eco-friendly materials.

The civic body put out a notification in April 2024, stating that CPCB guidelines are mandatory. Raje, however, claimed that despite this, the BMC is not cracking down on PoP idols.

2,34,000
Approximate no. of Ganesh idols immersed in Mumbai in 2023