Karnataka Seizes 3,000-Plus PoP Ganesha Idols, Disposal Remains Unresolved

Karnataka has seized more than 3,000 Ganesha idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) ahead of the festival season, in a coordinated operation involving the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), municipal officials and the police. The scale of the pre-emptive seizure is unprecedented, with earlier years seeing efforts focused largely on persuading people not to buy PoP idols that pollute waterbodies.

The crackdown, however, has left authorities grappling with a new problem: what to do with the confiscated idols. KSPCB member-secretary R. Gokul acknowledged that no disposal plan has been finalised. Godowns and other locations holding large numbers of idols have been sealed, and officials have committed to ensuring the idols do not reach sellers, but a decision on their eventual fate is still pending.

Gokul said Karnataka's PoP idols are sourced mainly from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. He expressed confidence that seizing consignments would alert manufacturers and buyers, dampening market demand and eventually curbing supply. "By next year, there will be scarcity or no PoP idols at all," he said.

V. Ramprasad, co-founder of Friends of Lakes, suggested that the seized idols could be recycled and put to other uses.

An expert involved in construction and demolition waste processing argued that the core material is not the main concern. According to the expert, roughly 50 PoP idols yield less than a single tractor load of material, and the idols largely consist of paper, coir and other substances. Because they are hollow, they float on water, unlike clay idols that settle on a lake bed. Powdered PoP is essentially gypsum, which can nourish soil. The expert said the paint applied to the idols is the hazardous component and must be dealt with separately.