Two days before the grand celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi begin in the state, the Madras High Court on Wednesday banned idols made out of Plaster of Paris (POP) and use of loud fireworks between 10pm to 6am. It has also asked the Tamil Nadu government to enforce the set guidelines in the future.
The court also stated that no idols can be installed without the permission from the police commissioner and that the organisers need to adhere to the conditions mentioned by the officer, reported The Times of India. The court ordered the authorities to ensure that organisers of such event avoid using flammable materials for construction of temporary structures and obtain clearance of fire department after their inspection of all electrical equipment.
This comes after two PILs were filed seeking direction from the courts asking the state to take appropriate steps to regulate celebrations. The petitions stated that despite restrictions, POP was used to make idols, and chemical colours were used to paint them, which pollute the water bodies. Both the PILs were later dismissed by the court. The case was heard by first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar.
One PIL also made allegations of unauthorised tapping of electricity for such celebrations, but the court said that the TANGEDCO has already taken steps to keep a check on theft of electricity. It added that the organisers of such events must get temporary electricity connections and pay consumption charges.
However, on Wednesday, the Hindu Munnani appealed to the authorities not to restrict the number of Ganesh idols to be installed or taken in procession for immersion. They said that they have been asked not to keep the idols for longer duration due to Bakrid on September 2. So, all the idols will be immersed at an early date, said Hindu Munnani, reported Deccan Chronicle.