Dharwad bans PoP Ganesh idols, announces ₹1 lakh fine for excessive DJ sound

Dharwad bans PoP Ganesh idols, announces ₹1 lakh fine for excessive DJ sound The district administration has curbed the manufacture, sale, storage and employ of idols produced of PoP and other chemically treated material.

Key points

• Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Rudresh Ghali remarked the civic body would provide an incentive of ₹25, 000 to makers of clay Ganesh idols and felicitate them.
• Ganesh idols created of mud getting ready for the annual festival in Dharwad district of Karnataka.
• She remarked DJ sound systems had been prohibited during the Gowri-Ganesh festival as excessive noise could inconvenience senior citizens, children and pregnant women.
• Police, Environment, Revenue and local body authorities were instructed to conduct regular checks.
• Authorities from the police, Revenue, Environment and local administration departments, along with idol makers and sellers and firecracker dealers, attended the gathering.

Ganesh idols created of mud getting ready for the annual festival in Dharwad district of Karnataka. Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO.

For context, the Dharwad district administration has banned the manufacture, sale, storage and employ of Ganesh idols produced of plaster of Paris (PoP) and other chemically treated material.

Deputy Commissioner Snehal R. Has directed authorities to seize DJ sound systems employed in violation of prescribed noise limits during the Ganesh festival, and impose a fine of up to ₹1 lakh on violators.

At a session held in Hubballi to review measures to prevent the apply of PoP idols and discuss precautions regarding green crackers, Ms. Snehal remarked strict action would be taken against violations.

She remarked DJ sound systems had been prohibited during the Gowri-Ganesh festival as excessive noise could inconvenience senior citizens, children and pregnant women. Instead, organisers should promote traditional folk performances, such as Dollu Kunitha, Hejje Mela and Karadi Majalu, she remarked.

Authorities were directed to conduct surprise inspections throughout the district and seize PoP idols wherever they were discovered. Sellers violating the ban should be penalised and only eco-friendly clay idols should be sold, she remarked.

"Celebrating festivals is a matter of cultural pride, but the celebrations should be environmentally responsible, " Ms. Snehal remarked, urging residents to choose idols created of natural clay and colours that dissolve easily in water.

She remarked the district administration, in coordination with the police, local bodies and the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, had begun inspections to prevent the sale and apply of PoP idols. Police, Environment, Revenue and local body authorities were instructed to conduct regular checks.

Meanwhile, the administration will establish check-posts at district and city borders to prevent PoP idols from being brought in from other districts. Vehicles transporting the banned idols and the idols themselves should be seized, Ms. Snehal directed.

Organisers should inform the police in advance regarding routes proposed for Ganesh idol installation and immersion processions. Any change in the route should additionally be noted immediately. The processions should not obstruct traffic or inconvenience other individuals.

Ms. Snehal pressed residents to apply traditional clay idols and consider immersing them at home in a bucket of water. The clay could subsequently be applied for growing plants and saplings.

Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Commissioner Rudresh Ghali remarked the civic body would provide an incentive of ₹25, 000 to makers of clay Ganesh idols and felicitate them. Residents installing clay idols at home can submit photographs to the corporation to receive a certificate.

In practice, the corporation has designated public water tanks for idol immersion. Mr. Ghali appealed to organisers not to play film songs during installation and immersion ceremonies, and prohibited the employ of laser lights.

Let Belagavi Ganesh Utsav be a model to the country, notes DC. Pollution control board urges eco-friendly Gowri Ganesha celebrations in Dharwad.

Taken together, the developments around dharwad bans PoP Ganesh idols, announces ₹1 lakh fine for excessive DJ point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.