Live
- Tight security arrangements at Group-II examination centers District SP
- Alia Bhatt captures attention in white
- Varun Dhawan talks about ‘Baby John’
- ‘Moonwalk’ trailer promises a quirky heist, love, and loyalty
- Combat leaf spot disease
- Ahsaas Channaopens up about her complex character in ‘Mismatched 3’
- Radhika Apte welcomes first child, shares heartfelt post
- Jacqueline dazzles at Da-Bangg Reloaded concert
- Time to boost measures to prevent drowning, save children: WHO
- TDP achieves milestone with 73 lakhs membership registration, says Chandrababu
Khairatabad Ganesh unwilling to yield
Refusing to accept the police diktat to reduce the height of the Khairatabad Ganesh idol, the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi announced its decision to go ahead with its plans to set up a 58 feet tall idol for this year’s Ganesh Utsav.
Hyderabad: Refusing to accept the police diktat to reduce the height of the Khairatabad Ganesh idol, the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi announced its decision to go ahead with its plans to set up a 58 feet tall idol for this year’s Ganesh Utsav.
Meanwhile, the parent body, Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS), warned of a massive agitation if the authorities impose restrictions on the faith of lakhs of devotees. According to the local leaders, it all started with the police authorities asking the organisers to shorten the height of the idol or face consequences.
Utsav Samithi to go ahead with 58 ft idol, despite police diktat to reduce the height to 17 feet
The police authorities asked the organisers to restrict the height to 17 feet instead of 58 feet, said the local leaders. As per tradition, the Khairatabad Ganesh pandal organisers were increasing the height of the idol one foot every year and after the completion of 60 years, they decided to decrease the height one foot every year.
In the year 2014, the height of the idol was 60 feet, it was 59 feet during 2015 and this year it would be 58 feet. With the pressure from the local police authorities, the organisers were in dilemma on the height. “Actually, we had decided to keep the height below 17 feet as desired by the authorities,
but the locals and devotees had objected to this stating that they too are part of the festival and Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi too insisted on maintaining the tradition,” said Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi member S Sudarshan.
The Samithi has now formed a committee with Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi leaders, the local MLA and other prominent people to fight out the issue. Political parties too have objected to the police diktat stating that they would take up an agitation against the government if restrictions were imposed on religious beliefs.
“We will oppose any step if the government tries to impose restrictions on the festivals including the traditions of Hindus. We will take up an agitation on this if the government imposes any restrictions,” said Chintala Ramachandra Reddy, the local MLA. Local corporator P Vijaya Reddy from TRS said that her party would not interfere in the religious faiths.
BGUS president Bhagwanth Rao asked as to who gave the powers to police officials to issue such guidelines. “It is the fundamental right of Hindus to celebrate festivals. Who are these officials to impose restrictions,” he said. He said that there was no rule of imposing restriction on the height of the idol and the height was being
decreased every year.
The Utsav Samithi leaders performed ‘bhoomi pooja’ to mark the start of preparatory works for making of the giant idol on Thursday. The event was attended by Chintala Ramachandra Reddy, Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi leaders and hundreds of Samithi members.
