Only registered vendors can sell/import idols; portal by July 15
Panaji: With the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) recommending a 20 per cent permissible limit of Plaster of Paris (PoP) in Ganesh idols made of ‘chikanmati’, clay and ‘shadu’, the state government has directed the board to develop a portal by July 15 for registration of vendors intending to sell or import idols for the festival in September.
The pollution board will have to take an undertaking from registered vendors that idols sold do not exceed 20 per cent PoP content. Only vendors registered on the portal will be allowed to sell or import Ganesh idols in the state.
Information on empanelled vendors will be accessible to authorities and the general public, the directive issued by the Department of Environment and Climate Change stated.
Earlier this year, on February 27, the pollution board wrote to the government stating that the prevailing ban on PoP idols be relaxed, as analysis showed that 20 per cent PoP is allowable.
The board proposed that idols made from traditional materials such as mati (mud), clay and shadu, even with PoP content, be painted using eco-friendly, water-based, biodegradable and non-toxic natural dyes.
The directions have been issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The GSPCB will develop and maintain the vendor portal with details including name, address, mobile number, source of procurement, number of idols proposed to be procured from other states, expected date of import and a signed undertaking that the idols comply with the permissible PoP limit.
Further, the GSPCB has been directed to inform all vendors and local chitrashalas by May 30 to register on the portal. No licence will be granted to vendors or chitrashalas to display and sell idols unless they are registered.
PoP idols are imported and sold in the state during Ganesh Chaturthi each year.
