Police Raid Shops in Nagpur, Seize 148 PoP Ganesh Idols
Nagpur, India: Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), and Nuisince Detection Squad (NDS) are raiding Ganesh Idol shops in search of ban plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols. In a stern warning, the High Court directed the authorities to impose severe penalties and prosecute Ganesh mandals that violate environmental norms.
A division bench comprising Justices Nitin Sambre and Abhay Mantri reprimanded the authorities for their lax enforcement of environmental guidelines and demanded decisive action against those disregarding the ban on PoP idols. The bench emphasized that violations should not only charge heavy fines but also lead to criminal prosecution to prevent future offences.
These directives were issued in response to a suo motu public interest litigation (No. 3/2021) that highlighted the growing pollution in water bodies due to the immersion of PoP idols, especially during the Ganesh and Durga festivals. In line with the court’s directives, Nagpur's municipal commissioner has warned dealers selling PoP Ganesh idols of a 10,000 rupee fine and the confiscation of idols. The Nagpur police will assist in enforcing the ban through joint raids.
Police conducted raids in several shops across Dharampeth, Laxmi Nagar, Gandhi Bagh, and Satranjipura areas, where they discovered PoP Ganesh idols and fined each shop 10,000 rupees. The NDS seized a total of 148 PoP Ganesh idols from these zones and also confiscated banned plastic bags, imposing an additional fine of 5,000 rupees on each shop. The estimated total value of fines from today's search and seizure, including penalties for both PoP idols and plastic bags, amounted to 40,000 rupees.
However, citizens have raised concerns over the timing of these actions, noting that markets are already stocked with PoP idols ahead of the Ganesh Festival.
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