Ahead of the festive season begins, the authorities in Delhi have taken up steps to curb the potential pollution. Following the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) orders, the north and east Delhi municipal corporations have published advertisements to ask idol-makers in the city to mandatorily register with the civic bodies.
This step is taken to stop idols made of toxic materials from going into the Yamuna, not just during immersion but at the manufacturing stage itself. Back in August, a south corporation official told The Times of India that in the next couple of days, a public notice would be issued asking all murtikars (idol makers) to get them registered with the 12 local zonal deputy commissioners.
These artisans will be given a time-period of 15 days to register themselves, disclosing the address of their factory or idol-making unit, details of material they plan to use and the estimated number of idols they will make in a form. Those running without registration will be shut down.
A senior municipal official told Hindustan Times, “These forms have to be submitted by the craftsmen to the zonal deputy commissioners (DCs) of the municipalities after which their facilities will be regularly inspected to see they use only eco-friendly material.”
He added, “After this, idol-making cottage industries mushrooming anywhere, like near Akshardham, in Saket and Burari, will not happen. A lot of them were able to sell idols at low rates only because they were made of cheap material, which is not environment friendly.”
Pradeep Khandelwal, chief engineer, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, further revealed that the DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) has asked to ensure the heights of idols don’t go above five feet.
Additionally, the municipal corporations have been asked to create artificial ponds where smaller idols could be immersed.
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