PANAJI
As always, the State administration is expected to crackdown on the trade and use of Lord Ganesh idols made of eco-unfriendly plaster of paris (PoP) but this year the drive will get the wings of jail for violators.
Also, a plethora of government departments and agencies will be involved in the crackdown, including the police.
Power Minister Nilesh Cabral who also holds the environment portfolio said on Wednesday that the administration will use the stick against both sellers and buyers.
Hefty fines will be imposed and violators can even face time in jail, he said.
Cabral also said the drive will be implemented mainly through the Goa State Pollution Control Board but several other departments and agencies of the government including the police will also be involved.
Cabral named the police department, district administration including Collector and Deputy Collector who he said will be roped in for better implementation.
“PoP does not disintegrate... it becomes a major environmental nuisance,” Cabral said while speaking to journalists at the State Secretariat on Wednesday. For several years, the Goa government has been launching awareness drives and cracking down against the use of PoP idols in the run-up to Ganesh Chaturthi one of the most revered Hindu festivals celebrated in the State and most of the Konkan region.
However, low cost and the visibly better finish of PoP idols is the main attraction where some still go for them despite the awareness against their use as these are known to pollute the water bodies where they are immersed.
