Nagpur: Not a single red-marked Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idol was found among the 944 PoP idols identified during immersion in Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) artificial tanks, with the latest data adding 340 PoP idols on the 10th day of Ganeshotsav.
Green Vigil Foundation team led by Surbhi Jaiswal said the organisation had been present at Futala Lake every day since Sept 15, facilitating Ganpati visarjan in artificial tanks and collecting nirmalya. “During this period, we observed that nearly 10% of the idols appeared to be PoP. Volunteers involved in facilitating immersions also reported a similar enforcement gap.
As per the prescribed guidelines, PoP idols were supposed to carry a red mark on the back, but such markings were rarely found,” Jaiswal said. She said several devotees told volunteers that vendors had sold them PoP idols as clay idols, assuring them that they would dissolve easily. “Many devotees were disappointed after learning otherwise, especially after paying a higher price for what they believed were clay idols,” she said. Jaiswal said the red-marking system should be implemented strictly and consistently so devotees could identify the material of an idol before purchasing it and avoid being misled.