Team Herald
PANJIM: Dozens of Ganesh idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) immersed after one and a half days were washed ashore at Caranzalem beach, on Monday, raising pollution concerns.
Despite a ban on PoP idols by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB), these PoP idols remain popular due to their lightweight nature, but pose environmental hazards as they don’t dissolve in water.
Speaking to O Heraldo, GSPCB chairman Mahesh Patil said, “We will depute teams to collect samples of the idols and analyse them. The problem is that it cannot be traced who has thrown these idols. However, we will get an idea as to how many idols have abeen made of PoP.”
He said, the GSPCB “had already initiated action a month ago”.
“We visited 77 outlets across the State and collected samples from them. It was found that of the 77 outlets, four had idols made of PoP. We wrote to the Collectors to take appropriate action,” Patil added
“Some idols come in trucks from the neighbouring States. We know that PoP idols are not being made in Goa, so they must be coming from other States. These should have been checked before entering the State,” the GSPCB chairman said.
Notably, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had assured the State Assembly last month that Goa Police will be tasked with monitoring the State borders to prevent the entry of Ganesh idols made of PoP.
“I will ask Goa Police to keep a strict vigil on the border areas to ensure that such idols of Plaster of Paris don’t make their way into the State,” the Chief Minister had said.