Thousands of people visited the immersion sites at Hussainsagar and other lakes to revel in the occasion
The usual festivities connected with Ganesh immersion was back in Hyderabad on Sunday after a low-key celebration last year due to the prevailing first wave of COVID-19. The 10-day-long festival ended on Sunday (September 19). Laddus at prominent Ganesh pandals were auctioned, thousands of people visited the immersion sites in and around the Telangana’s capital city.
The arterial roads leading to Hussainsagar were intermittently filled with flower petals and colour papers, indicating that the idols have passed by the route to the immersion site. Barricades were placed on the roads leading to the site to stop vehicles. People either parked their vehicles a little away, or made use of Metro Rail to reach the closest point and walked.
Families and bunch of youngsters headed to the site. As one reached the roads around the lake on Sunday afternoon, they had to compete for every inch of space as everyone wanted to reach a vantage point to get a good view of the giant Khairatabad Ganesh idol being readied for the immersion. Families huddled to discuss how to reach the vantage points and concluded that there was no other way but to shove through the crowd.
The pedestrian bridge near NTR Gardens was crowded. Some sat perilously on the frame of the bridge to get the view. Not able to withstand the long walk and wait, some started to move on. Though many did not have a clear view, everyone understood that the 40-foot idol was being immersed as people broke into a loud synchronous cheer when the giant Ganesh idol was being immersed in the lake in the noon.
Thereafter, immersion of the smaller idols continued and more people walked towards the site. The drizzle which was followed by heavy rain from afternoon to evening did not stop the crowd. Children and adults blew pipe horns, and the occasional vehicles — two-wheelers or four-wheelers — tried to break through the crowd by constantly honking.
Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali, Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, along with Director General of Police M Mahender Reddy conducted aerial survey to monitor the immersion. The City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar too accompanied them. The commissioner monitored the situation around the lake.
The DGP said in the afternoon that the immersion was going on peacefully. He further said that for the first time across the State, all routes were recorded through CCTV and linked to Command Control Centres.
