Anxiety plagues idol makers at Kolkata’s Kumartuli ahead of Durga Puja amid a police campaign to discourage the use of thermocol, a cost-effective and common idol-making material that was banned in 2022 by West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB).
Artisans were caught off guard on Thursday as police, backed by WBPCB, conducted raids at Kumartuli, warning idol makers against the use of thermocol.
The development has forced artisans to think of a costly shift in materials.
While circulars discouraging thermocol use have been around since 2022, no outright ban on production was enforced, Kartick Pal, secretary of the Kumartuli Mrit Shilpi Samiti, said.
He stressed that thermocol remains the most economical material for crafting ornaments and idols’ chaal (the backdrop).
“The police visit annually, but nothing has been confiscated so far. We’ve written to Shashi Panja, MLA of Shyampukur, and the WBPCB, seeking a solution. She has promised to look into the matter,” said Pal.
Thermocol’s ease of use has made it integral to the work of Kumartuli artisans, and with most of this year’s idols already complete, a sudden material change is unrealistic, said artisan Indrajit Paul.
If a blanket ban on thermocol is enforced, the artisans would be forced to revert to traditional materials, such as cardboard or metal, that their forefathers used.. “This would inevitably drive up the costs. The community is in distress, not knowing what the final verdict will be,” said Paul.
The WBPCB order, issued on October 28, 2022, prohibits thermocol plastics, including decorative items, citing environmental hazards.
Yet the material remains ubiquitous in Kumartuli, accounting for some 20 to 30 per cent of an idol’s structure. Thermocol is also used in mukut and topor for the bride and groom during Bengali weddings.
The recent police campaign is not a seizure drive, but a month-long pre-Durga Puja push to raise awareness, said Pal. Authorities have assured artisans of leniency unless grave violations are found.
Environmental activists argue that enforcement of the long-overdue ban is justified, but lament that awareness efforts did not begin early enough. With Mahalaya just weeks away, Kumartuli’s artisans stand at crossroads. Their artistry, passed down through generations, is under threat, they fear.
