With the festive season just around the corner, the Centre has issued a 15-point directive to state governments to take strict action against those immersing idols in river Ganga and its tributaries. The directive pronounces cordoning of ghats and imposing a fine of Rs 50,000.
The directive has been issued by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) after a meeting with the 11 representatives of states in the Ganga basin. Chief Secretaries of Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Rajasthan participated in the meeting.
Officials were told to stringently implement norms against the immersion of idols and disposal of puja material in river Ganga and its tributaries and to make suitable alternative arrangements in an eco-friendly manner, said The Indian Express report.
The directive, issued under Section 5 of The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, states, “River Bank and Ghats should be Rs 50,000 fine for idol immersion in Ganga, tributaries: Centre to states cordoned off and barricaded to prevent any stray immersion of idols in the river or its banks. Adequate arrangements should be made for designated idol-immersion sites within the municipal area or bank of river Ganga and its tributaries by constructing temporary confined ponds with removable synthetic liners at the bottom.”
It continues: “All concerned state government, authority, board or corporation should ensure that there is no use of synthetic/non-biodegradable material, Plaster of Paris (POP), baked clay, resin fibres and thermocol for making of idols. Besides, the use of toxic and non-biodegradable chemical dyes or synthetic paints for the painting of idols should be strictly prohibited.”
Apart from the strict enforcement of fines, the NMCG has also asked the state officials to make necessary arrangements near “designated idol-immersion sites” by constructing makeshift confined ponds with detachable synthetic liners at the bottom”. Furthermore, they have also been asked to submit an action taken report within seven days after the end of each festival. District judges have been tasked to drive the directives. “If any person violates above directions, then Rs 50,000 as environment compensation should be levied, collected and deposited with State Pollution Control Boards,” the directive states.
The large-scale immersion of idols and puja material is a common sight throughout many parts of India during the festive time such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Vishwakarma Puja, Durga Puja, Diwali, Chhath Puja and Saraswati Puja, that has led to an alarming rise in pollutants of the water bodies which make them unhabitable.
During the recently concluded Ganesh Chaturthi festival, many states cracked down on PoP made Ganesha idols and seized several camps which were making as well as selling those idols. These states also had requested their citizens to abstain from purchasing non-eco-friendly idols and encouraged them to buy Ganesh idols made out of clay using natural colours. With the NMCG bringing in such harsh rules and if implemented properly, will end up saving the environment and create more awareness among the public leading to change in the mindset.
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