All set to bid goodbye to Ganesha today

♦ The city decked up for Ganesh idol immersion with high security and traffic restrictions along the procession route

♦ The Balapur Ganesh pandal is the oldest in Hyderabad and leads the Vinayaka procession in the Old city covering a 19-km-long route from Balapur to Hussain Sagar

♦ The administration has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth immersion of the idols in Tank Bund and other lakes across the city

Hyderabad: All set for mass Ganesh Shobha Yatra on Anant Chaturdashi, Friday, as the pandal organisers were seen making preparations for the grand send off to Pratham Pujya Ganapati. The 69-feet Khairatabad Maha Ganesh will be immersed first, followed by Balapur Ganesh and other procession from different corners of the city.

With the 11-day long Ganesh festivities coming to an end, the stage is set to bid a goodbye with Shobha Yatra. The authorities have made elaborate security arrangements for the smooth conduct for Ganesh immersion. The city will come to a standstill as lakhs of devotees will join the Shoba Yatra, the grand procession marking the end of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.

On Thursday, the pandal organisers were seen preparing for the grand send off to the Ganpati. The administration has made elaborate arrangements for the smooth immersion of the idols in Tank Bund and other lakes across the city.

The city decked up for Ganesh idol immersion with high security and traffic restrictions along the procession route. The Shobha Yatra of massive Khairatabad’s Maha Ganesh idol will start around 9 am and will reach NTR Marg around 1.30 pm and the process of immersion would be over by 2 pm.

The GHMC, CMC, MMC, HMWS&SB, HMDA, Tourism Department, TGSPDCL and the Fire Departments have made necessary arrangements and have deployed personnel and machinery to ensure that the procession continues without any delays. The Balapur Ganesh pandal is the oldest in Hyderabad and leads the Vinayaka procession in the Old city covering a 19-km-long route from Balapur to Hussain Sagar. Processions from the adjoining areas will join the main procession of Balapur Ganesh.

The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi said that over 1.5 lakh Ganesh idols were installed across the city this year. BGUS General Secretary Dr Ravinutala Shashidhar said that the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will be chief guest for the mass procession and will likely to address at MJ Market. He said Swami Shridharacharyaji Maharaj, Jain priest Vimal Sagar Suri and others will also be present.

Authorities arranged immersion platforms in NTR Marg, People’s plaza, Buddha Bhavan for Ganesh idol immersion. The tri-municipal corporation had made arrangements for the festival.

GHMC has 39 lakes and ponds across its six zones for immersion. According to GHMC, a total of 77,687 Ganesh idols are expected to be immersed.

The GHMC Commissioner RV Karnan said that to facilitate the immersion process, the civic body had 110 static cranes and 170 mobile cranes at baby ponds and around major lakes and tanks within GHMC limits. The commissioner informed that as many as 20,000 staff members and officials deployed from the different wings of sanitation, engineering and others, round-the-clock in three shifts to ensure the smooth conduct of idol immersion.

The Malkajgiri Corporation has a total of 39 immersion centers across the three zones under its jurisdiction. These include 18 lakes, 7 smaller ponds/baby ponds, and 15 artificial ponds or portable tanks. A total of 84 static and mobile cranes are set up at major lakes, ponds, and artificial immersion tanks.

The Cyberabad jurisdiction has identified 53 immersion points across the commissionerate. Major locations include IDL Lake, Pragathi Nagar Lake, Gangaram Cheruvu, Malkam Cheruvu, Durgam Cheruvu and Kokapet Kotha Cheruvu.

HYDRAA, Disaster Response Force teams, swimmers, boats, medical camps and ambulances were stationed at major points.

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The Hans India