New mantle: Cops to promote eco-friendly Durga Puja
The police would be seen in a new avatar this festive season. Apart from maintaining law and order, the cops would also act as motivators for sculptors and Durga Puja committees, asking them to use only bio-degradable material for making idols and setting up pandals.
“From the law and order point of view, we have already made a list of Durga Puja committees and sculptors preparing idols. The only extra effort cops have to make is to motivate sculptors to use natural material as mentioned in holy scripts. They would be appealed to use traditional clay for idols rather than baked clay, Plaster of Paris, etc,” said A Satish Ganesh, IG, Lucknow zone.
The IG said this eco-friendly campaign would be carried out at police station level across 11 districts of Lucknow zone and in-charges have been directed to approach sculptors in this regard. “The initiative will help district and police administration comply with apex court order to curb pollution in natural water bodies due to idol immersion,” he emphasised.
Lucknow Zone comprises Lucknow, Unnao, Barabanki, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Amethi, Sultanpur, Faizabad and Ambedkar Nagar.
Directions with regard to eco-friendly campaign have already been conveyed to DIGs of Lucknow, Faizabad ranges and police chiefs of all 11 districts in a crime and law & order review meeting held here on Friday.
Ganesh said police station in-charges could also assure easy issuance of no-objection certificates and fire department clearances to the sculptors and committees ready to adopt ecofriendly method.
The IG explained that people would be asked to discourage paint on idols and use water soluble, biodegradable and nontoxic natural dyes on idols. “Use of thermocol or other non-biodegradable items for decoration and idol-making should be discouraged and use of eco- friendly paper plates, banana leaves, shell leaves or clay plates for distribution of prasad at pandals be promoted,” he said, adding, “Puja material like flowers, vastras (clothes), paper and plastic decorations should be removed before immersion of idols.”