Hyderabad: The immersion of Lord Ganesh idols in water bodies, marking the conclusion of 11-day-long Vinayaka Chaviti festivities, concluded in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Though September 6 was the last day of immersion, it spilled over into Sunday as the height of some idols was more than 40 ft leading to slow movement of the heavy vehicles carrying them, official sources said.
2.70 lakh idols immersed, 11K in Hussain Sagar
Over 2.70 lakh idols were immersed in water bodies in Hyderabad by Sunday evening, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) said in a release.
As many as 11,000 idols were immersed in the sprawling Hussain Sagar lake in the city.
The Hussain Sagar lake and the roads around it were wearing a festive look since Saturday morning with thousands of devotees arriving with chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’.
The 69-feet-tall Ganesh idol from Khairatabad, the main draw of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities in Hyderabad, and the famous Balapur Ganesh in the city were immersed in Hussain Sagar lake on Saturday.
The pandal organisers installed the Ganesha idols in different sizes, forms and themes, including ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The GHMC deployed cranes and also undertook several measures for sanitation, road repairs, among others for the smooth conduct of the mega immersion process.
The GHMC deployed as many as 15,000 personnel 24×7 in three shifts to carry out sanitation measures.
The city civic body set up 72 artificial ponds to ease congestion at major water bodies and reduce traffic jams.
The sanitation workers removed 11,000 tonne of garbage, the release said.
GHMC worker dies in accident
A woman sanitation worker died in an accident while crossing the road here on Sunday. Though she was rushed to a nearby hospital, she was declared brought dead, a GHMC release said.
City Mayor Vijaya Laxmi R Gadwal and Corporation’s Commissioner R V Karnan condoled her death and assured help to her family members, it said.
Five cases registered, 170 nabbed for misbehaviour
Meanwhile, a release quoted City Police Commissioner C V Anand as saying that the immersion processions went on for 40 hours.
He said five cases were registered in connection with scuffles during the processions, while 170 people who allegedly misbehaved with women were caught.
Some pickpockets were also nabbed by police during the processions, though the number of crimes has seen a decline compared to last year, Anand said.
Observing that the police worked tirelessly for two days, Anand thanked officers and other policemen for their efforts in ensuring that the event passed off smoothly.
Thousands of idols, in various forms and sizes, were also immersed in water bodies in other parts of Telangana. Though the process of immersion began several days ago, most of the idols installed for worship were immersed on September 6.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations began with devotional fervour and gaiety across Telangana on August 27.
