Strictly enforce ban on PoP Gowri-Ganesha idols: Karnataka minister to local bodies
Bengaluru, Jul 24 (PTI): Karnataka Minister Eshwar Khandre on Thursday directed local bodies to strictly enforce the ban on the manufacture and sale of Gowri and Ganesha idols made of Plaster of Paris.
He instructed officials to encourage the stocking, transportation, and sale of eco-friendly, colorless clay idols of Gowri and Ganesha instead of PoP idols coated with chemical paints that are harmful to the environment and water bodies, Khandre said in a press release.
The minister’s directive comes ahead of the Gowri and Ganesha festivals, scheduled for August 26 and 27.
PoP Ganesha idols are made using a powder containing calcium, sulfate, and hemihydrate. They contain hazardous elements including sulfur, phosphorus, gypsum, and magnesium.
"These idols are coated with chemical paints containing mercury, cadmium, lead, and carbon. When immersed in water bodies, the heavy metals dissolve, posing health risks to people and livestock," Khandre said.
He added the environment department has been directed to raise public awareness, as these idols also cause the death of aquatic life.
The minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment noted that a circular prohibiting the manufacture, storage, and sale of PoP Ganesha idols had been issued earlier.
After assuming office, a government order was issued in 2023 reinforcing this ban, which local bodies must implement strictly, the release added.
With a month remaining for the festivals, Khandre instructed officials to take immediate steps to monitor and curb the storage and transportation of PoP idols.
He also directed officials to engage with welfare associations in multi-storied buildings, residential complexes, and local communities to encourage residents to use only eco-friendly Ganesha idols, the release further said.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
