Hyderabad: The city’s police commissioner, CV Anand, urged Ganesh festival organizers to ensure electrical safety, especially during the rainy season. He advised them to consult local electricity officials for secure connections, despite the provision of free electricity.
On Thursday, during his visit to Khairatabad Bada Ganesh, Anand recommended that organizers assign volunteers to manage barricades. He specified that at least three volunteers should be present at night.
Anand stated that more than 19,000 police officers from the city will be on duty for the festival. Additionally, 8,500 officers from other districts, along with 42 platoons, 10 CAPF companies, and Octopus teams, will reinforce security, totaling about 30,000 personnel.
Having handled Ganesh immersion security 11 times, Anand assured that the Hyderabad City Police have arranged for the immersion of Ganesh idols on September 6, 2025. Coordination meetings with festival organizers and government departments have been held. Out of around 11,000 applications, 10,900 mandapams have received online permissions. Efforts are ongoing to register the remaining 15,000 idols, which will streamline security.
The immersion processions will be under surveillance with CCTV cameras, drones, and QR code-based stickers. Joint control centers are established at key spots like NTR Marg and People’s Plaza. On September 6, a 24-hour center will operate at TG ICCC in Banjara Hills.
Currently, 9 cranes are in place at locations such as Hussain Sagar and NTR Stadium. This number will increase to 40 with the help of GHMC and other departments by the festival’s end.
The Khairtabad Ganesh idol attracts 60,000 to 70,000 visitors daily and up to 2 lakh on weekends. Anand instructed officials to ensure safety and prevent stampedes.
Following this, the Commissioner and other officials inspected the routes leading to the Khairtabad Ganesh mandapam and the barricading system.
Present at the inspection were Vikram Singh Mann (Additional CP Law and Order), D Joel Davis (Joint CP Traffic), K Apoorva Rao (DCP SB), K Shilpa Valli (DCP Central Zone), among others.
