Ganpati idols up to four feet should be eco-friendly: BMC

In the meeting – chaired by BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal – the civic body also announced that no PoP (Plaster of Paris) idols would be allowed for people who celebrate the festival at home and to encourage eco-friendly idols, one free space will be provided to eco-friendly sculptors in each ward.

Mumbai: From this year, all the idols of lord Ganesh, which are up to four feet, will mandatorily have to be ‘eco-friendly,’ said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday in a meeting which discussed the preparations for Ganeshotsav.

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In the meeting – chaired by BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal – the civic body also announced that no PoP (Plaster of Paris) idols would be allowed for people who celebrate the festival at home and to encourage eco-friendly idols, one free space will be provided to eco-friendly sculptors in each ward.

BMC added that it will provide free ‘sadhu’ clay in some quantities to these sculptors, which will be procured from across the state and if needed, from other states as well.

Last year, after an uproar from Ganpati festival organisers, BMC had to withdraw its order banning all PoP-made idols in the city.

Naresh Dahibavkar, Chairman, Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samnvay Samitee, “We are also positive for the environmentally friendly Ganapati festival. Efforts have been made continuously for the last few years. But this year, the BMC held the meeting late in this regard. If the meeting had been held in January, we would have definitely been able to do some things. There are many challenges but by following them we will help the BMC for an eco-friendly festival.”