HYDERABAD, INDIA, April 21, 2020 (Deccan Chronicle): The Telangana High Court on Wednesday said it would not relax the conditions imposed on use of plaster of Paris (PoP) in manufacturing statues of Lord Ganesh, Goddess Durga and other Deities. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Abhinand Kumar Shavili said when strict guidelines were issued by the Supreme Court on using plaster of Paris in statue-making and conditions imposed by the Central Pollution Board in immersion of statues in lakes, how could the court direct any relaxation to them.
However, the bench issued notices to the Union ministry of environment, Telangana state, GHMC, HMDA, Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board, and Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissioners to file their contentions in a petition seeking permission to use plaster of Paris in manufacturing statues. The Telangana Ganesh Murthi Kalakar Welfare Association, Lodh Kshatriya Sadar Panchayat and several other individuals from Dhoolpet and Manghalhat, whose families were involved in statue-making for generations, approached the High Court requesting to provide some relaxation to the norms. It is pertinent to mention here that the Pollution Control Board banned the usage of PoP in manufacturing statues on the ground that the water tanks and lakes will be affected seriously when statues are immersed, as PoP does not dissolve and it would threaten the existence of tanks.
https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/210422/hc-declines-idol-makers-plea-to-use-pop.html