One thing that conquered minds and markets, children and adults, even the TV and radio, precisely this season last year, was the Ganesha, adored in his clay avatar.
From government institutions, civic bodies to NGOs, all worked, not for a week or a month, but for nearly six months towards promoting ‘clay Ganeshas’.
It was a small beginning to save the Hussainsagar lake where each year hundreds of idols made of synthetic dyes are immersed.
With crores of rupees being spent to clean up the lake for pollutants, including effluents from industries, clay Ganeshas were being promoted to stall further pollution caused by paints on idols. This year, however, with less than two months for Ganesh Chathurti (September 19), the eco-friendly Ganesha remains ignored.
No one has yet taken the responsibility to alert the city about the pollution that the idols made of chemical colours would create.
The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (PCB), Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the troika with the duty to encourage public towards adopting eco-friendly ways of following tradition, have remained mum till this week.
Meeting
The GHMC seems to have woken up rather belatedly. Commissioner M. T. Krishna Babu held a meeting with the NGOs and groups making clay idols and announced that open spaces, parks and community halls can be used free of cost by artisans to make, promote and sell their idols.
Invitees pointed that time was not enough to make the estimated demand for 8 lakh idols.
Officials also did not have any answer when asked whether the plaster-of-paris idol makers have been approached to use natural dyes. This is in contrast to the government’s effort over the past two years, where thousands of clay Ganesh idols were made at HMDA nurseries and sold at subsidised prices. Last year, the APPCB roped in NGOs and set up stalls to sell them.
“Awareness campaigns were undertaken in schools and the city saw children pursue parents to buy clay idols. The eco-friendly Ganesha was promoted on the internet like never before. The concerted effort had the city inclined to take home brown-bodied Ganesha,” said an activist involved in last year’s campaign.
This year, however, any action is yet to be initiated.
APPCB stand
While GHMC has taken up the cause only now, APPCB officials said that it is upon civic bodies to guide public towards eco-friendly ways.
“Our mandate is to alert public and rake up the issue of pollution caused by chemical dyes on Ganesh idols. We have done it last year, the GHMC is the appropriate body to promote eco-friendly practices,” said APPCB officials.
