DHUBRI, Sept 14 - An 8.5-foot tall and 6-foot wide idol of Lord Ganesh made entirely from waste plastic water bottles is not only promoting cleanliness by rejecting single use plastic but is also attracting a large numbers of devotees to the Harisabha Mandir of Dhubri town on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
In Dhubri town, the drains are choked with plastic waste and even the streets are littered with plastic items and food wrappers. However, Mukti, a socio-cultural group, took the initiative to promote cleanliness in the town this Ganesh Chaturthi by installing the special idol at the Harisabha Mandir, where the festival is centrally celebrated in Dhubri.
It took 10 days for Sanjib Basak, the artist, to make the idol out of 1,900 waste plastic water bottles. Basak also decorate the pandal with plastic bottles. Talking to this correspondent, he said, �Although plastic is an important material for an emerging economy like ours and modern daily life, at the same time it has serious impacts on the environment and health.�
�With this idol, we wanted to show that instead of wasting it, we can reuse plastic materials, thus creating less pressure on the environment,� he added.
It has been estimated that India generates more than 10,000 tonnes of plastic waste daily.
The organising group has also arranged various competitions and events to promote cleanliness in Dhubri, during the four days of the Ganesh festival.
Meanwhile, thousands of devotees were seen thronging the Ganesh Akhara in Gauripur, where special prayers and events are being organised.
