Green norms flouted as idols made of PoP immersed in Pattinapakkam

Toxic metals released from plaster of Paris eventually enter human food chain via fishes

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA @ Chennai

IN violation of pollution control norms and court directives, over 1,100 Vinayagar idols—many made of plaster of Paris (PoP) and coated with chemical paints—were immersed from the Pattinapakkam coast on Sunday. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and police deployed two cranes to lift massive idols into the water, while an earthmover was pressed into service to smash larger idols before dumping the fragments back into the water.

Traditionally, fishing boats were used to ferry idols beyond the breakers, but choppy seas forced boats to stay ashore.