A day after thousands of artisans who create plaster of Paris (POP) idols staged a massive protest against the recent high court order banning POP idols and mandating the use of clay idols during Ganesh festival, the issue sparked heated discussions in both houses of the assembly.

On Wednesday, Shiv Sena MLA from Bandra (East), Varun Sardesai, and Opposition leader in the legislative council, Ambadas Danve, demanded that the government clarify its stance on the issue. Danve informed the council that nearly 13,000 sculptors and their families are facing an employment crisis due to the ban. He urged the government to file a review petition in the high court challenging the court’s decision and proposed forming a study committee to examine the issue before taking any action.

The issue also came to the forefront during the recent Maghi Ganesh Jayanti celebrations in Mumbai, where the environment minister and the cultural minister expressed conflicting views on the matter. Danve stressed that the livelihoods of thousands of artisans and the sentiments of Ganesh devotees are at stake, calling for a clear statement from the government.

In response, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis acknowledged the importance of the Ganesh festival in Maharashtra and expressed a willingness to address the issue. He clarified that the ban on POP idols was not the government's decision but a directive from the Central Pollution Control Board. Fadnavis added that a committee under the Rajiv Gandhi Technical Institute has been formed to study the environmental impact of PoP and explore technical solutions to minimise pollution.

The protest gained momentum on Tuesday when thousands of sculptors gathered at Nare Park in Parel, expressing concerns over the durability of clay idols. According to the artisans, clay idols are fragile and prone to breaking, whereas large POP idols are more durable. They also argued that reinforcing clay idols with other materials could lead to water pollution. The sculptors maintained that there is no conclusive scientific evidence proving that POP is harmful to the environment.

The government now faces the challenge of balancing environmental concerns with the livelihoods of artisans and the deep-rooted cultural significance of the Ganesh festival.