In a bid to combat water pollution during Ganpati visarjan (immersion), the Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to lay down "strict condition" for the organisers of Ganeshotsav in the state to avoid using Ganesha idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP).
The court asked the state government to instruct all civic bodies to impose a condition for Mandals seeking to organise Ganeshotsav, to abide by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines and avoid using PoP idols.
Pronouncing the order, Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay said "We understand that the permissions have already been given to many mandals. Let the authorities intimate the mandals to avoid using PoP idols. The main issue (of banning PoP guidelines) will be decided in due course".
The court set October 31 as the deadline for all the stakeholders to file their affidavits in reply to its directives.
Earlier, the high court said that it would ban the use of PoP idols for the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festival across the state.
The high court bench, also comprising Justice Amit Borkar, also lashed out at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for failing to stop the use of PoP for idol making despite clear guidelines of the CPCB in place since 2020.
