Hyderabad buckles up for elephantine ride

 ​Hyderabad: The stage is set for Ganesh immersion at Hussainsagar lake in the city and as also some other lakes around the city on Sunday.  The police and the officials of various departments have made elaborate arrangements for the event. The route map for the 18 km main procession to reach the Hussainsagar, starting at Balapur in old city, was finalised and police have already started keeping a watchful eye on the entire route. 

More than 17,000 policemen are being deployed apart from 13 units of Greyhounds and two units of OCTOPUS to ensure peace. In all, about 40,000 police personnel and officials will be on duty in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda Police Commissionerate limits. 

All wings of the Hyderabad City Police –law and order, traffic, SB, transport, city security wing, armed reserve police, bomb disposal squads (16), dog squads (22), emergency response teams, Vajra vehicles, gas squads-- will be part of the security arrangement. Emergency response teams and quick reaction teams will also be stationed at different locations. The main concentration of the security forces will be on the 18 km route and the Ganesh idols joining the main procession from side lanes.  

In all, 51 cranes have been put in place for immersion of the idols, 23 of them will be at Tank Bund, 12 at NTR Marg, three each at Rajanna Bowli and Minister Road, and two each at Errakunta and Meeralam tank.  Four cranes have been kept in reserve at NTR Marg.  As many as 160 release hooks would be available and with these hooks, immersion of idols would be easier.  Idols reaching the Hussainsagar after 2 am the next day, would be diverted to specially arranged holding area for immersion.

 The police have intensified surveillance at 605 sensitive places. The situation at these places will be monitored by 410 mobile parties. SHE Teams, and crime teams.

Senior police officials will monitor the immersion process with the help of 450 cameras fixed en route the procession.  As many as 15 ambulances, two medical teams, 15 fire tenders, 81 watchtowers and 82 mobile toilets are made available at important junctions.

The city police have issued orders stating that wine shops and bars attached to restaurants (excluding bars in star hotels and registered clubs) will remain closed from 6 am on Sunday to 6 pm on Monday. Elaborate traffic restrictions have also been imposed on the day.