Source: www.hindustantimes.com
MUMBAI, INDIA, August 14, 2010: Half the men who shape the Ganesha murtis in the city have been struck down by malaria. The clay and plaster of Paris strewn around and inevitable pools of stagnant water around the workshops, make them ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This year, a number of murti makers are suffering its effects.
Ganapati murti maker Manohar Bagwe says he will have to work twice as hard this year to ensure the murtis are ready for devotees in time for Ganesha Chaturthi. Most of his workforce is down with malaria. A few blocks down the road, one of the busiest murti makers in the city has the same woes. “The BMC comes to fumigate our workshops, but it hasn’t stopped the mosquitoes,” said Ramesh Rawle, who says eight of his 20 workers have “escaped” to their villages due to malaria.
Taking note of the problem, the Ganeshotsav Samanvay Samiti has instructed all pandals in the city to spread awareness about malaria through their Ganesh themes.