Hyderabad scripts green success story this Ganesh festival

HYDERABAD: Residents in Hyderabad seem to have scripted a green success story this festival season as demand for clay Ganesh idols has outstripped that for plaster of Paris (PoP) ones.
While the eco-friendly move has pushed the prices of clay idols upwards, it has also reassured idol-makers - who suffered losses during Covid - about sustained livelihood.
Besides common citizens, credit for this success can be given to campaigning for eco-friendly idols by government agencies - GHMC, TSPCB and HMDA - and environmentalists. The state government will distribute six lakh clay idols in city. Also, more than 20 idol-makers have kept 1.5 to 2 lakh clay idols of sizes ranging from eight to 16 inches ready.
Though PoP idols are cheaper, citizens are preferring clay idols, say idol-makers. B Narayana, one of the leading clay idol-makers, has kept 30,000 clay Ganesh idols at his workshop in Hayathnagar. "Cost of raw material has shot up... It is true that earlier there was a lukewarm response to clay idols. This year, however, the trend has changed. This is a good sign also from business point of view," Narayana said.
V Chandramouli, who is based in Madhapur, said: "We have already received bulk orders from housing societies in Madhapur, Hi-Tech City and Gachibowli, for eco-friendly Ganesh idols this time. Every year I used to supply a limited quantity - 500 to 1,000 clay idols - but this year, I had to keep 3,000 clay idols ready, the highest in my 10 years of business."
"I have already received online requests for 25,000 idols (1.5-inch) from across the city," said Kranti Kumar, an online trader.