Lakhs bid good-bye to Ganesha

Festivities conclude amidst fanfare and tight security

Hyderabad: The 11-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi culminated as thousands of devotees on Sunday immersed the idols of the Lord Ganesh at various designated spots across Hyderabad and Secunderabad amidst fanfare and tight security.

The annual ritual that now became a massive event in Greater Hyderabad where an estimated 35,000 idols of different sizes were immersed in various water bodies in the city and on its outskirts.

Hussain Sagar remains the main attraction where lakhs of people turned up to celebrate and bid farewell to the lord. The residents of colonies on the outskirts have immersed the idols in 24 water bodies located at different parts on the outskirts of the city.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water supply & Sewerage Board, Hyderabad and Cyberabad police, fire brigade and SRPF (State Reserve Police Force) have worked in tandem to ensure a peaceful 'Nimajjan' (immersion).

The GHMC took up sanitation drive (street sweeping and garbage removal) all along the procession routes by deploying 180 Ganesh Action Teams (GATs), one for every 4 kilometres.

Each GAT consists of one sanitary supervisor, three SFAs and 21 workers, totaling over 5,700 workers. Fourty one 25-tonner vehicles, one hundred and fourteen 6-tonners and 14 JCBs were pressed into service.

The GHMC has also installed about 23,000 lights, medical teams with an ambulance in every area and separate routes were provided for them, Commissioner Somesh Kumar told to The Hans India.

The HMWS&SB had distributed about 30 lakh water packets through various camps across the city. Apart from distributing water packets, the HMWS&SB also supplied water continuously through tankers to all immersion spots, said Operations Director Rameshwar Rao.

Over 25,000 policemen, including personnel from central paramilitary forces, have been deployed as part of the massive security arrangements for Ganesh immersion in the city.

Nine companies of central paramilitary forces and police forces from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other neighbouring states were deployed and about 400 CCTV cameras installed along the main procession route ensured peaceful immersion.

The idols were immersed in Kapra Cheruvu, Erla Cheruvu, Manjeera Road, IDL Tank, Pragathinagar Cheruvu, Hasmathpet Cheruvu, Sunnam Cheruvu, Pariki Cheruvu, Venellagadda Cheruvu, Saroornagar Lake, Rajanna Bavi,

Vinayaka Nagar Rayasamudram Lake, RC Puram, Sakicheruvu, Patancheruvu, Mir Alam Tank, Palle Cheruvu, Pattikunta Cheruvu, Durgam Cheruvu, Malkam Cheruvu, Gopinagar Cheruvu, Pedda Cheruvu, Gangaram, Gurunatham Cheruvu, JP Nagar, Kaidamma Kunta in Hafizpet, Suraram Cheruvu, Kotha Cheruvu (Alwal lake) and Safilguda lake.

The road from Tank Bund to NTR gardens was flooded with people and vehicles, leading to a massive traffic jam but that did not deter people from flocking to the area.

Eager passers-by, who could not find space on the route for clear view of the Ganesh procession, chose Telugu Talli flyover as a vantage point.

The sight of gigantic cranes lifting the Ganesh idols captivated their attention. Regular commuters who opt for Mint Compound road as a short cut to reach Khairatabad flyover were also put to inconvenience as the route was jammed.