Kota: 'Idols of deities cannot be higher than 3 feet'

KOTA: Disappointing several artisans hoping to make good business on upcoming festivities, Kota city police on Thursday issued a notice directing artisans not to make clay idol of any god or goddess more than three-foot high for the upcoming festivities of Ganesh Chatrurti, Durga Puja and Anant Chaturdashi while imposing a complete ban on idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP).
The move to ban PoP and to restrict the clay idols' height was reportedly taken to check water pollution in Chambal river and other water bodies of the city as large number of idols, including the PoP ones, are immersed in water every year causing pollution and threat to life to thousands of aquatic lives.
The notice served to artisans by circle inspector at Jawahar Nagar police station stated that in view of upcoming festivities of Ganesh Chatrurti/ Durga Puja/ Anant Chaturdashi, idols of Ganesh/ Durga would be made. These idols are immersed in Chambal river and Kishore Sagar pond and pollute the water and affect the aquatic life, it further stated. tnn