Thermocol 'makhar' makers in a fix this Ganeshotsav

In April 2018, after the Bombay High Court banned the sale of thermocol decorations during Ganeshostav festival, the future of the 25-year-old well-established Makhar industry is in tatters.

The demand for Makhars in Mumbai alone is around 2 lakh with over Rs. 20 cror being spent annually. The major manufacturers located in the outskirts of Mumbai were obviously prepared for their once-in-a-year chance to make a profit. However, the ban has left them high and dry.

Many of the makhar-workers and factories have invested large sums of money in the process and the materials. A longer notice period would have been appreciated, as per a report in The Times of India.

Although the makhar manufacturers understand the environmental harm caused by plastic, thermocol and the colours used by them and that even though people reuse them for other festivals, they are not able to navigate the huge loss.

It is the worker or craftsmen who are reeling under the effect of the ban, as the huge sums of money are in the bargain. Some bigger establishments and factories are experimenting with other materials like paper pulp, corrugated paper and digital printing.