The Times of India             10.09.2013

Nashik Municipal Corporation urges citizens to buy 'shadu' idols

NASHIK: A day prior to Ganesh Chaturthi, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) displayed hoardings appealing to citizens to buy 'shadu' clay Ganesh idols for the festival.

The hoardings have been put up by the environment cell of the NMC at four different locations - Gadkari Chowk, Veer Savarkar swimming pool, Trimbak Road signal and near HPT College.

"This is an NMC initiative to encourage an eco-friendly Ganesh festival amongst people so that they use clay idols for the festivities. This is just the beginning. Next year onwards, we will plan the drive better," said NMC's environment cell chief S R Vanjari.

Environment activists from NGOs across the city have joined hands to promote an eco-friendly Ganeshotsav this year. They have also volunteered to help the NMC in promoting the eco-friendly festival and to assist the officials on the final day of immersion rather than doing the same individually.

"We had appealed to the NMC officials to publicise the use of shadu clay idols for an eco-friendly festival this year. They have put up hoardings in the city," said Jagbir Singh, an environment activists promoting eco-friendly festivites

In a joint meeting held on August 27, the NMC had also appealed to the Ganesh mandals in the city to observe an eco-friendly festival by buying shadu clay idols, not using plastic and thermocol decorations, using 'nirmalya kalash' for pooja material and donating the idols instead of immersing them.

The NMC also plans to put up advertisements to encourage donation of idols and to using nirmalya kalash three days prior to the final immersion day. Besides, in addition to the 29 artificial ponds last year, the NMC will be providing a few more in all the divisions. "We have called for a meeting of all the divisional officers on Tuesday for gauging the exact number of new ponds that will be needed this year," said Vanjari.