Ganesh Idol Immersions continue for second day at Hussain Sagar; GHMC gears up for cleanup drive

Hyderabad, Sept 26 (UNI) Ganesh idol immersions continued for the second consecutive day at Hussain Sagar on Saturday, with hundreds of idols from various parts of the twin cities arriving in processions and waiting for immersion at designated crane points.

By morning, kilometre-long queues of idols had formed along Tank Bund, NTR Marg and Necklace Road. The grand Ganesh idol immersion at Hussain Sagar was expected to conclude by Saturday afternoon, with around 500 to 800 idols reportedly awaiting immersion at key junctions, according to the police officials here. Traffic restrictions between Telangana Thalli flyover and Khairatabad Junction were likely to be lifted by the evening, depending on the situation. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and city police deployed personnel, security arrangements and heavy-duty machinery to manage the crowds and facilitate smooth immersions. More than 40 cranes stationed around Hussain Sagar were operating round-the-clock.

Meanwhile, the large-scale celebrations and continuous movement of vehicles and procession floats resulted in the accumulation of plastic waste, food wrappers and other festive debris along the procession routes. The movement of processions and bumper-to-bumper traffic made it difficult for sanitation teams to clear the waste. GHMC workers were preparing to launch a large-scale cleanup drive after the crowds dispersed at Hussain Sagar, M.J. Market, Begum Bazar and other parts of the city.

Traffic restrictions continued on Saturday along major procession routes, including Tank Bund, Necklace Road, NTR Marg, PV Statue and areas around Indira Gandhi Rotary, in view of the ongoing immersions. Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar appealed to motorists to avoid these routes unless necessary, postpone their journeys where possible and use alternative routes. He also urged people to avoid venturing onto congested roads unnecessarily.

The Commissioner thanked the public for cooperating with the police and urged citizens to continue following traffic advisories. At a press conference on Friday, Director General of Police C.V. Anand said 1.24 lakh idols had been registered on the state's Ganesh portal this year, compared with 1.15 lakh last year. Including idols installed in homes, apartments and private premises, the total number across the state was estimated at 3.5 lakh to four lakh. Around 88,000 idols had been immersed by Friday morning, while the remaining immersions were expected to be completed on Saturday morning.

More than 25,000 police personnel had been deployed in Hyderabad for the immersion arrangements. The DGP said 13 people had died and 26 others had been injured in incidents during the 10-day Ganesh festivities.

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