CHENNAI: The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a directive to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), mandating a public announcement of penalties for environmental guideline violations during the forthcoming Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.
The bench, comprising judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member K Satyagopal, has directed TNPCB to initiate a public awareness campaign within one week and publish “dos and don’ts” and penalty details by June 30.
This intervention follows mounting concerns over the persistent use of plaster of paris (PoP) idols, synthetically painted idols, and the lack of eco-friendly immersion practices – factors identified as major polluters of waterbodies.
Though the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) guidelines have banned PoP since 2010 —and strengthened them in the 2020 revision —implementation has remained problematic, especially in urban coastal zones.
The TNPCB counsel said it had cracked down on several unauthorised manufacturing units and sealed them. However, the violations have persisted. In Chennai alone, clean-up drives following last year’s festival had removed approximately 150 metric tonnes of idol fragments and waste from beaches at Pattinapakkam, Kasimedu, Palavakkam and others.
The NGT bench recognised that while religious sentiments have to be respected, they “must not come at the cost of environmental integrity”. It said that the festival “is not being curbed; the pollution is”. The tribunal also questioned why TNPCB was hesitant in the implementation of upfront “polluter-pays” fee, which was suggested by the tribunal since early 2024. The TNPCB has resisted, citing legal complexity and religious sensitivity, though the NGT has reiterated this fee is essential to ensure clean-up costs are met by celebrants.