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Talking of an eco-friendly Ganeshotsav is one thing but in practice it spells loss, both for the idol maker and for the buyer. How much can the environment gain in the bargain remains a matter of conjecture.
A local idol maker explains, "The threat of global warming has opened many eyes but when it comes to doping something to stop its march, there are hardly any takers. The idols made of Plaster of Paris (POP) does not dissolve in water and hence they cause pollution".
"So many of us had decided to opt to make idols of mud and sand, which are said to be eco-friendly and easily get mixed in water without polluting it. However with the rise in material cost and labour we had to drop the idea," he explains.
"The impact of price rise is such that while the POP idols costs have gone up by 30 per cent, the cost of eco friendly idols has gone up more than three times. Hence we hardly receive orders for eco-friendly idols. Statistically speaking we had made 90 per cent POP idols and only 10 per cent eco friendly idols," he say.
A resident of Sector-17 Vashi expressed "Understanding the ill-effects of POP on nature we decided to go for an eco-friendly idol of lord Ganesha. To our surprise and dismay, the small POP idol which we used to buy is now for Rs 450. As for the eco friendly idol, one needs to shell out Rs 1150. At this rate how many people can afford to buy them, even if they want to save water pollution".
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