Vijayawada: The Junior Chamber International-India, Guntur chapter, an NGO, is making 2.6 feet and 3.6 feet eco-friendly Ganesha idols for the upcoming Vinayaka Chavithi and also creating awareness among the public to avoid Plaster of Paris idols thus help in environmental protection.
The NGO members are using red clay to make the idols. The NGO members, led by K.V.N. plan to approach individual flats in apartment blocks, gated communities, and educational institutions to use eco-friendly clay idols.
The NGO members plan are make the idols themselves and plan to sell them to the residents of Guntur city.
For this, the team of 55 members discussed with the Pollution Control Board members, locals, experts, NGOs and also contacted PoP idol makers. They finally zeroed in on eco-friendly Ganesha idol makers in a small village near Tenali where they learnt how to make clay idols.
The NGO members say that last year, they had sold 50 idols and now they aimed to sell at least 500.
The profits made from the sale of the idols are used for social service; this year, they plan to spend it on poor students and also on programmes on women hygiene.
“People prefer PoP idols as there is no availability of eco-friendly idols. Most people instal clay idols in their homes during Vinayaka Chaviti and several NGOs. The Pollution Control Board as well as many NGOs distribute small clay idols free of cost and the people prefer them. However, there are no big clay idols available,” the NGO president Karthikk said.
He said that with the profits from the sale of the idols, they planned to purchase a machine to make sanitary pads and will set it up in the district. The remaining amount will be used on educating the poor students.
He said that they expected to make `5 lakh to `6 lakh from the 500-plus idols.
NGO member Simrann Kaur said that they are making idols 3.5 feet tall and weighing 30 kg to 40 kg. These will be sold for `5,000 to `3,500. The response of the public has been encouraging, she added.
B. Nischal, a customer, said that was in favour of protecting the earth and was glad to find a big clay Ganesha idol.
