30 Cranes Deployed at 17 Lakes for Vinayaka Visarjan in Warangal

WARANGAL: The Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) has made elaborate arrangements for the safe and peaceful immersion of Ganesh idols across the city, deploying 30 cranes at 17 lakes and allocating nearly ₹2 crore for the arrangements.

GWMC Special Officer and Hanumakonda District Collector Chahat Bajpai said on Wednesday that around 8,000 Ganesh idols are expected to be immersed across Greater Warangal by Thursday evening. A multi-departmental coordination mechanism involving revenue, irrigation, police, fisheries, mining and other departments has been put in place in Hanumakonda and Warangal districts.

The immersion programme was formally launched at Chinnavadddepalli Lake, in the presence of Chahat Bajpai, KUDA Chairperson Gundo Sudharani, Warangal District Collector Dr Satya Sharada and GWMC Commissioner T. Venkanna.

Officials said special attention was being given to safety at immersion points, particularly locations where water levels are high. As many as 145 professional divers, along with Disaster Response Force (DRF) teams, have been kept on standby to deal with emergencies.

In view of the India Meteorological Department's warning of heavy rainfall over the next two days, Collector Chahat Bajpai appealed to devotees to complete the immersion process as early as possible.

She urged devotees to strictly follow the instructions issued by police and officials at the immersion points and cooperate with the authorities to ensure their own safety as well as the smooth conduct of the celebrations.

The authorities are also encouraging devotees to use clay Ganesh idols to minimise pollution in water bodies. The Pollution Control Board and GWMC are facilitating the availability of clay idols as part of efforts to promote environmentally friendly celebrations.

Bajpai said wider adoption of clay idols would help reduce pollution in lakes and protect the city's water bodies in the long run.

Following the immersion process, special teams will remove idol remains and other residues from the lakes and clean the surrounding areas. Action plans have also been prepared for desilting and cleaning water bodies wherever necessary.

GWMC Commissioner T. Venkanna said comprehensive arrangements had been made at designated immersion points using the ₹2 crore budget. These include sanitation, drinking water supply, electricity, lighting, traffic management and emergency services.

Warangal District Collector Dr Satya Sharada directed officials to remain alert until Thursday, when immersion activities are expected to continue, and to take all preventive measures to avoid untoward incidents.

The authorities appealed to devotees to use only designated immersion points, avoid entering the water and cooperate with security personnel and civic officials for a safe and peaceful visarjan.

The programme was attended by Warangal Central Zone DCP Dhara Kavitha, Additional Collector Kishor Kumar, Additional Commissioner Jona, GWMC Superintending Engineer Rajkumar, CMHO Dr Rajareddy, RDO Suma, and officials from GWMC, KUDA, revenue, irrigation, police, fisheries, mining and other departments.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KOTHA RAMESH

[email protected]