The grand 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Hyderabad came to an end on Saturday, with the traditional immersion of the famous Khairatabad Ganesh idol. The massive 69-foot idol, which had been the centre of attraction throughout the festival, was lifted onto a specially arranged vehicle early in the morning.
At exactly 7.44 am, chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya’ echoed through the area as the procession began its journey towards Hussain Sagar Lake. Thousands of devotees gathered in huge numbers to get one last glimpse of the towering idol before it was taken for immersion.
The streets along the 2.5 km route to Hussain Sagar turned into a sea of people, with the atmosphere charged with devotion, music, and colours. To ensure safety and smooth movement, the police and volunteers were spread out in large numbers, managing crowds and traffic. The Khairatabad idol is expected to reach the immersion point around 1.30 pm.
This year, around 50,000 idols are scheduled to be immersed in Hussain Sagar alone. Across the city, immersion processions are likely to continue for nearly 40 hours, making it one of the largest such events in the country, according to a report by The Hindu.
To handle the scale, nearly 29,000 police personnel have been deployed in shifts. Additional security steps include drone monitoring and the installation of 250 new CCTV cameras at important points across the city.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand said security and traffic measures had been intensified to handle the massive turnout, ensuring that the immersion takes place peacefully and without disruption.
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