A thick security blanket has been thrown over Hyderabad for the Ganesh immersion processions that will take place on Wednesday.
Around 15,000 policemen, including 13 companies of para-military forces, will be deployed across the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secuderabad, for the final Ganesh immersion procession to be held on Wednesday.
Briefing the media about the security arrangements, city Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma said that elaborate security arrangements were being made to ensure the peaceful conclusion of the 10-day long Ganesh festival.
"All the units of the Hyderabad City Police, including Law And Order, Traffic, Special Branch, Task Force, City Security Wing and the City Armed Reserve, have been pressed into service so as to make proper security and bandobust arrangements. Special pickets have been deployed on 290 hyper-sensitive and 580 sensitive spots across the city," he said.
He added, "Forces have been readied for bandobust at Ganesh pandals, places of worship, important junctions, immersion points and other places of requirement."
Anurag Sharma said that the movement of the Ganesh procession would be monitored from a Command and Control Centre, and that 800 CCTV cameras have been installed at strategic locations. He added that as many as 32 bomb disposal squads, 25 sniffer dogs, and 390 mobile patrolling teams have also being deployed. According to him, they have been equipped with DFMDs, HFMDs, prodders, deep search mine detectors, under-carriage mirrors and explosive detectors among other equipment.
Nearly 10 lakh people are likely to participate in the final procession, in which around 50,000 big and small Ganesh will be immersed in the Hussain Sagar. (INN)