Karnataka Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) officials seized more than 50 Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesha idols from a lorry entering Bengaluru from Hosur along NICE Road on Thursday morning, as authorities widened enforcement ahead of the Ganesha festival.
The lorry was intercepted near the Attibele Toll while travelling towards the city. According to the KSPCB, the vehicle was reportedly headed towards Hassan and was stopped after officials received information about more than 25 lorries carrying Ganesha idols through NICE Road, or National Highway 48, near Electronics City between 11 pm and 1 am on Wednesday.
A complaint was also made to the police helpline 112, following which police personnel arrived at the location. The operation was carried out after information was provided to Bangalore Mirror, according to the report.
In a separate inspection, KSPCB officials, along with an assistant engineer, an assistant executive engineer and a KSPCB marshal, visited a shop selling Ganesha idols. The inspection found both clay and PoP idols of Gowri and Ganesha. Around 56 PoP idols were seized from the shop and handed over to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) for further action. The GBA also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the shop.
R Gokul, Member Secretary of the KSPCB, said the board had previously focused on retail shops selling PoP idols across the city. “However, this incident has forced us to rethink our strategy. We will now also keep a close eye on check posts and toll gates to ensure these idols do not enter Bengaluru from neighbouring states,” he said.
The enforcement drive is being conducted to prevent the manufacture and sale of PoP idols ahead of and during the festival. A special operations team constituted by the Karnataka government has been carrying out inspections across the state. Between August 18 and September 9, the teams inspected 357 shops and godowns and seized 2,564 PoP idols, according to the report.
The teams were constituted by Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy, with four to five teams formed in each district. The latest seizure indicates that enforcement is now also being extended to transport routes, toll gates and city entry points, in addition to retail outlets and storage facilities.
