News: Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Panaji, Sep 3:  Environmentalists in the state have begun campaigning for the eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi which will be celebrated in the state next week.

With the festival increasingly getting modern, which is non-environment friendly, the green minds have started the campaign convincing people to have eco-chaturthi.

The five- day long festival devoted to elephant-headed God will be celebrated in almost all the Hindu households and several public places in the state from September 11.

“The traditional festival is getting a modern outlook and with that the environment is taking a beating,” environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar said.

He further said that the green NGOs in the state have began efforts to give eco-touch to the festival so that the levels of noise, air and water pollutions during the celebrations are reduced drastically. Almost all the Hindu households in the state get  to worship Ganesh Idol for two, five or eleven days. Later the idol is immersed in the nearby water bodies.

Kerkar said that the devotees are not bothered about the environment as they want the celebrations to be grand and without much trouble to fend for.

The environmentalist residing in state’s Keri village bordering Mhadei wildlife sanctuary said that Ganesh Idols should be made of unbaked natural clay, natural fiber, or even recycled paper and it should be ensured that the dyes used to colour the idols are organic or vegetable in origin. “The stress on the use of earthen or clay idols embellished by vegetable dyes is a symbolic way of displaying environment-friendliness in religion,” he said.

Goa government has banned sale of Plaster of Paris Idols, which usually float in the water bodies and create nuisance. State-run Handicraft Corporation has launched a special subsidy scheme for the artisans who carve clay Idols.

Goa Handicrafts Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (GHRSSIDC) chairman Sameer Salgaocar said that this year around 500 artisans have applied for the subsidy.

The corporation had distributed cash subsidy of around Rs 45 lac during FY 2009-10 to various artisans as a subsidy. He said that this year around the quantum of subsidy has been increased. "Last year Rs 100 per idol for maximum of 150 idols was paid by the
Government which is not enhanced to Rs 100 per idol for maximum of 250 idols,” Salgaocar said.