More than 50 Plaster of Paris Ganesha idols were seized by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board after a lorry carrying the idols was intercepted near Bengaluru’s Attibele Toll on NICE Road on Thursday morning.
Bengaluru | September 11, 2026
The lorry was stopped while entering the city from Hosur and was reportedly headed towards Hassan. The seizure followed information received by KSPCB officials about more than 25 lorries carrying Ganesha idols and entering Bengaluru through NICE Road, or National Highway 48, near Electronic City between 11 pm and 1 am on Wednesday.
A complaint was also filed through the police helpline 112, after which police personnel reached the location. The operation was conducted as part of enforcement efforts to prevent the manufacture, transport and sale of Plaster of Paris idols ahead of and during the Ganesha festival.
KSPCB Member Secretary R Gokul said the board had previously focused on retail outlets selling PoP idols within the city but would now extend its monitoring to entry points. “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.
In a separate inspection, KSPCB officials, accompanied by an Assistant Engineer, an Assistant Executive Engineer and a KSPCB marshal, inspected a shop selling Ganesha idols. The inspection 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 for further action. The GBA also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the shop.
The action forms part of a wider state-level enforcement drive. A special operations team constituted by the Karnataka government has been carrying out inspections across the state, with four to five teams formed in each district under the direction of Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
Between August 18 and September 9, the teams inspected 357 shops and godowns and seized 2,564 PoP idols, according to the report. The inspections are intended to prevent the manufacture and sale of PoP idols ahead of and during the festival.
The KSPCB’s decision to monitor toll gates and check posts marks the next operational step in the enforcement drive, alongside inspections of shops and storage facilities within Bengaluru.
