The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on February 17 issued strict guidelines concerning the granting of permission for erecting Ganesh pandals, according to which, sculptors must follow a January 30 order of the Bombay High Court and the 2020 order of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) banning the making and immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols.

The high court had issued an interim order ahead of Maghi Ganesh Jayanti, which was celebrated on February 1, against the manufacture, sale and immersion of PoP idols. In May 2020, the CPCB issued detailed guidelines banning PoP idols, which are said to be the cause of serious pollution in water bodies. In August last year, the high court ordered the civic body to follow the CPCB’s order.