The Ganpati festivities are starting on August 31. The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government “to frame a suitable policy” to regulate the use of Plaster of Paris (PoP) material for making idols and using oil paint for their decoration as “the issue now has become very serious.”
The Bench of Justices SB Shukre and GA Sanap were hearing a suo motu public interest litigation. It was initiated by the Court in 2021 on the issue. The bench said, “It appears that the State Government has still not come out with any policy regulating the use of plaster of paris (PoP) in making of idols and other articles which are ultimately released into water bodies in the ceremony called “Visarjan” (immersion).”
The bench added, “It is also seen that the PoP idols which are released into water bodies are invariably decorated in oil paint and once released into the water body the heavy metals and toxic materials used in the oil paint get released into the water body, thereby causing pollution in the water body which ultimately affects the public health, ecosystem and health of cattle and livestock on which the human beings are dependent. The issue now has become very serious.”
Court Directs State Government to Frame Policy on Use of PoP Idols and Oil Paints
The judges noted that the court has “time and again, through judicial pronouncements has directed the State Government. It has directed to frame a policy for regulating the use of PoP idols and oil paints. Long passage of time has elapsed since the judicial pronouncements. The issue concerning the public health and also the health of the environment has not been addressed by the State Government.”
Expressing disappointment over the delay and at the same time emphasizing the need for the government to act. The bench said, “Now another Ganesh festival is round the corner and, therefore, it is necessary for the State Government to take urgent steps to regulate the use of plaster of paris as a material for making of the idols meant for ‘visarjan’ and also prevent use of oil-paints for coloring and decorating any kind of idols including PoP idols and other incidental matters.”
“We accordingly direct the State Government to frame a suitable policy containing the requisite regulations, prohibitions, machinery for implementation of the policy, mechanism for dealing with the policy non-compliances and consequences which would follow on violation of the policy,” the bench said.