Civic body holds its ground on use of clay; idol makers say not possible as it’s too costly
An artisan works on a Ganesh idol. File pic/Ashish Raje
As the civic body remains firm on rules against the use of plaster of Paris for Ganesh idols, the city artisans have decided to knock on the doors of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for help. The idol makers stopped the work after the BMC recently issued a notice, prohibiting the use of plaster of Paris (PoP) and asking them to make only eco-friendly idols.
“We have asked other idol makers to stop taking bookings for a PoP idol. The BMC has sent us a notice and we are not getting a positive response from the authority on our request to use PoP. Therefore, we have decided to meet the chief minister on the issue, as it is difficult to make an idol with just clay in a short period,” Vasant Raje, one of the artisans, told mid-day.
“This year, 100 clay idols are not possible,” said Naresh Dahibavkar, president of Brihanmumbai Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti. “We are in the process of arranging a meeting with the CM. The use of clay in making idols has increased in the past few years. However, it is not possible to make more than 2 lakh idols with just clay,” he added.
