The eco-friendly gesture of immersing Ganpati idols in artificial lakes does not end there. The plaster of paris, accumulated in these lakes, will be used for manufacturing bricks or tiles and will not be re-immersed in the sea. Mayor Shubha Raul, who has strongly advocated the cause of eco-friendly festival, said that all the POP idols from the artificials lakes will be compulsorily recycled.

“All the devotees have responded positively and extended their support to go ahead with the recycling process,” Raul said.

Last year, IIT Bombay, in its report on eco friendly Ganeshotsav, had recommended that remains of POP idols can be made into bricks. However, civic officials had rejected the idea calling it “insensitive and hurting religious sentiments.”

“There is nothing insensitive in recycling the remains of idols. Instead of letting the disfigured idols accumulate on the beaches, it is better that some good use is made of POP,” the mayor said.

Pestom Sagar Citizens Association, Chembur, over the last six years, has been carrying out the immersion in artificial lake and recycling the idols. “We will soon hold a workshop on idol recycle and converting them into bricks. Those devotees who had immersed the idols in artificial lakes will be given the option of keeping the brick as a momento of the lord or else it will be used in construction projects,” Raul said.

Remains of the idols made in natural soil ‘Shadu’ will be used in gardening and landscaping in the civic gardens, civic officials said.

Raul had invited controversy and wrath of her own party members and president Uddhav Thackeray for her remarks that mandals should reduce the idol heights and that they be made in natural soil. She had also said that idol immersion in the sea should be banned to prevent marine pollution. Since then, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, in co-ordination with citizens groups, had set up artificial lakes at 20 places. Out of the 1.34 lakh idols, a total of 6,706 idols were immersed in these lakes including household and sarvajanik mandals.

“The plan is to ensure that all the household idols should be immersed in artificial lakes and not sea. Devotees have responded positively and hopefully the results will be better next year,” Raul said.

URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Remains-of-immersion-to-be-recycled/360449/