-- Samir Umarye Bicholim: A few traditional artists, who engage in making idols of Lord Ganesh, have expressed disappointment over non-payment of their subsidies and have set a deadline of a week to the Goa handicrafts rural and small-scale industries corporation.
"We were happy that we would get last year's subsidy. We could have utilized it to purchase clay, colour and other materials for the forthcoming Ganesh festival," Ramakant Shetkar of Kumbharwada, Bordem said. Shetkar is one of the seniormost idol makers in the area. "We had submitted the files well in time and complied with the necessary formalities by September 2012," another artist said. The artists requested the government to look into the matter and release last year's subsidy within a week to enable them to make preparations for the next festival. The government had assured the artists a subsidy to encourage them to make eco-friendly Ganesh idols. The proliferation of idols made from plaster of paris, as they are cheaper in cost, had evoked protests from environmentalists. The material is not eco-friendly and the paint contains toxins. The immersion of hundreds of idols in water bodies poses a threat to water bodies and aquatic organisms. Sources said the corporation has kept the files though scrutiny and other procedures have been completed. Vilas Kunkalyekar, Sadashiv Harmalkar and Gokuldas Harmalkar also called for the early release of the subsidy.(ToI)
