PoP idol sales continue as ban enforcement falters

WITH less than a month to go for the Ganesha festival, state government agencies, particularly the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), are yet to crackdown on Plaster of Paris (PoP) and heavy lead paint idols manufactured and sold across the state.

- BOSKY KHANNA @Bengaluru

So far, raids have been conducted only in two places -- Bengaluru's Dasarahalli zone and Hubballi where 1,000 and 180 idols, respectively, were seized.

"It has been a year since the government issued orders banning PoP idols. From the last festive season till now, all the idols that were stored should have been seized and scientifically destroyed. Now, when the festival is just a month away, insignificant checks have started," said an environment expert working with the KSPCB.