Stage Set In City For Ganesh Immersion

The capital city is geared up for the immersion of Ganesh idols.

Plenty of arrangements have been made for the immersion on Thursday - as many as 36 cranes, scores of JCBs and tippers, 200 professional swimmers and thousands of personnel have been deployed at five locations around the Hussain Sagar lake; and over 60 ponds and 74 water bodies have been set up exclusively for the immersion of POP idols. The immersion process is already underway in many areas.

Heavy security arrangements have been made by the police in the limits of the three commissionerates for the peaceful conduct of the immersion. Around 40,000 police personnel have been deployed - some 25,000 in the Hyderabad commissionerate and another 13,000 in the Cyberabad and Rachakonda commissionerates. Apart from the police personnel, RAF, para-military and other additional forces will also be involved in the bandobust, especially in troubled areas.

The police will be on duty for 36 hours. Hyderabad CP C V Anand and other senior officials will monitor the immersion from the command control centre in Banjara Hills, where arrangements have been made to enable coordinating with and monitoring the officials of various departments. Authorities have also installed 3,600 CC cameras.

Elaborate arrangements have been completed especially for the immersion of the Khairatabad Sri Dasa Maha Vidya Ganapati (the "Bada Ganesh"). Preparations for the immersion will begin at Wednesday midnight. The Shobha Yatra will begin at 7 am on Thursday, and reach NTR Marg at 9:30 am. The puja will be performed from 10:30 am to 11:30 am, and the immersion process will be completed by 12 noon with the immersion of the idol.

Special arrangements have also been made for the Balapur Ganesh Shobha Yatra. It will reach the Hussain Sagar via Chandrayangutta, Charminar, Afzalgunj, M J Market and Abids in the Old City. The Balapur Ganesh Shobha Yatra will be 19 km long.