KSPCB officials seized more than 50 Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesha idols from a lorry near Bengaluru’s Attibele Toll on NICE Road on Thursday morning, as Karnataka authorities intensified checks ahead of the Ganesha festival.
The truck was intercepted while entering Bengaluru from Hosur and was reportedly headed towards Hassan. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) acted after receiving information that more than 25 lorries carrying Ganesha idols had entered the city through NICE Road, or National Highway 48, near Electronic City between 11 pm and 1 am on Wednesday.
A complaint was also made to the police helpline 112, following which police personnel reached the location. The seized consignment included a towering idol, according to the report.
The operation followed a separate inspection of a Ganesha idol-selling shop by KSPCB officials, an Assistant Engineer, an Assistant Executive Engineer and a KSPCB marshal. Officials found both clay and PoP idols of Gowri and Ganesha at the premises.
Around 56 PoP idols were found at the shop. The idols were seized 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.
KSPCB Member Secretary R Gokul said the board had previously focused on retail shops selling PoP idols within the city. The interception near the toll gate has now prompted the board to monitor entry points more closely, he said.
“Till date, we were concentrating 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,” Gokul said.
The enforcement drive is being carried out by special operations teams constituted by the Karnataka government to prevent the manufacture and sale of PoP idols before and during the festival. The teams were formed by Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy, with four to five teams assigned to each district.
Between August 18 and September 9, the teams inspected 357 shops and godowns across Karnataka and seized 2,564 PoP idols, according to the report. The latest seizures extend the enforcement focus from retail outlets and storage facilities to transport routes, check posts and toll gates used to bring idols into the city.
KSPCB officials and the GBA are expected to continue inspections and action against shops and consignments found carrying PoP idols as the festival period approaches.
