Fond farewell

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Highlights

All roads led to the Hussain Sagar lake as thousands of idols of Ganesh Maharaj, the elephant-headed god worshipped in different parts of the twin cities were brought in huge religious processions for immersion that marked the grand culmination of the 10-day-long festival. Devotees thronged the roads in lakhs to join the ritual.

60,000 idols immersed on final day in the city lakes

Hyderabad: All roads led to the Hussain Sagar lake as thousands of idols of Ganesh Maharaj, the elephant-headed god worshipped in different parts of the twin cities were brought in huge religious processions for immersion that marked the grand culmination of the 10-day-long festival. Devotees thronged the roads in lakhs to join the ritual. As mammoth rallies moved through the communally sensitive pockets of the city, people hung out of their balconies for glimpse of the God in his different forms. Over 40,000 of the Ganesh idols were brought for immersion to Hussaian Sagar lake as well as 23 other water bodies in and around the city.

Rains fail to dampen spirits

Almost the entire capital city wore a festive look with the excited youth swathed in colours dancing to drum beats and devotional songs in front of the decorated chariots. The enthusiasm of the revelers was not affected even a wee bit in spite of intermittent spells of heavy showers that lashed the city for major part of the day.

Ganesh idols in a large number that reached Tank Bund late in the evening were stranded for hours together. Idols from Charminar, Khairathabad and Mozamjahi Market stretches leading to Tank Bund also witnessed delay in the movement due to heavy spell.

People witnessed water logging in several areas till knee level. Earlier during the day, the immersion of idols was delayed due to malfunctioning of few cranes operating across the Hussain Sagar stretch. There was power disruption in several locations in the city.

The Commissioner of Police Anurag Sharma made an aerial survey of the Nimajjan rallies and the security arrangements made by the department for the special occasion. Almost all the major thoroughfares were cordoned off as the city witnessed the largest ever deployment of police personnel. Over 20,000 security personnel, including 13 companies of para-military forces, were deployed for the smooth conduct of Ganesh idol immersion.

To prevent untoward incidents, as many as 32 bomb disposal squads, including 25 sniffer dogs, were pressed into service. Special pickets were set up at 290 hyper sensitive and 580 sensitive areas in the city. Police also kept a close eye on the procession routes, with as many as 800 CCTV cameras being put in place that would be monitored through a 'Command and Control Centre'. 390 mobile patrolling teams had overseen the security arrangements in various parts of the twin-cities

Nimajjan to go on till Thursday morning

GHMC chief M T Krishna Babu said that immersion programme would be completed by 9 am on Thursday. He stated that around 15,000 idols were immersed on Tuesday and close to 40,000 idols were immersed by Wednesday evening. By midnight some 60,000 idols were immersed in city lakes, according to latest reports.

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