Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Despite the Government of Goa’s existing ban on the import and sale of Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols, the sale of such idols continues unabated across the state. In light of this, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has called for immediate and strict enforcement of the ban, urging authorities to make Goa completely free of PoP Ganesh idols.
In a significant step, HJS submitted memoranda to several top officials, including South Goa Collector Egna Cleetus (IAS), North Goa Collector Ankit Yadav (IAS), and Deputy Collectors Varsha Parab (Mapusa), Shubham Naik (Ponda), and Nehal Talwanekar (Bicholim).
The delegation at Mapusa featured representatives from various organizations, including Govind Govekar of Shivrajya Pratishthan, Sujan Naik of Hindu Yuva Shakti, Siddharth Mandrekar of Swarajya Gomantak, and Jitendra Falari of Mapusa Merchants’ Association. Chandrakant (Bhai) Pandit, President, and Jayesh Thali, Secretary of Gomantak Mandir Mahasangh, along with members of Shiv Chhatrapati Yuva Mandal Trust, Kalki Manav Seva Samiti, Sanatan Sanstha, and HJS, were also part of the delegation.
In Bicholim, the memorandum was submitted by a delegation led by Krishna Marathe of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, accompanied by other representatives of local Hindu organizations.
Several temples have expressed support for this initiative, including Durgamata Mandir (Davorlim, Margao), Swami Samarth Mandir, Ghogleshwar Mandir (Ghogol, Margao), Sankat Bhajan Hanuman Mandir, Shripad Shrivallabh Mandir, and Damodar Mandir (Margao).
Hindu Yuva Shakti also submitted a separate memorandum to Varsha Parab, Deputy Collector of Mapusa.
The HJS memorandum emphasized the need to promote eco-friendly Ganesh idols, encouraging the use of traditional Shadu clay over harmful PoP. The organization further called on the government to ensure that Ganesh idols are immersed only in flowing water post-Ganeshotsav to minimize environmental damage.
To curb illegal sales, HJS proposed the formation of a dedicated task force consisting of members from the Environment Department, State Pollution Control Board, Excise, Commercial Tax Department, and Police to monitor and act against the import and distribution of PoP idols.
