Hyderabad saw a peaceful end to the Ganesh idol immersion procession on Sunday, with no major incidents reported. Over 3.03 lakh idols were immersed throughout Greater Hyderabad during the festival.
The festival, scheduled to end on Saturday, extended into Sunday due to some idols being taller than 40 feet, causing delays in their transport, according to officials.
On Sunday, numerous vehicles lined up at water bodies for immersion. Cranes were busy at designated areas, including artificial ponds and Hussain Sagar lake.
Officials from GHMC reported that a total of 3,03,585 idols were immersed in six zones. Out of these, 1,14,566 idols measured between 1.5 feet and 3 feet, and 1,89,019 were over 3 feet. Hussain Sagar alone received 26,000 idols.
GHMC also repaired roads and potholes along the 303-kilometre procession route, ensuring a smooth and safe journey for participants.
A team of 15,000 GHMC sanitation workers cleared roads of confetti, disposable items, and decoration materials. They collected 20,000 tonnes of waste, which was sent to a processing center in Jawahar Nagar. A thorough clean-up was underway on Monday.
Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi credited the smooth immersion to the cooperation between GHMC and departments like Police, Revenue, Electricity, RTA, and HMDA.
Hyderabad city police commissioner CV Anand noted that the immersion finished ahead of schedule, thanks to help from the Khairtabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi. The procession lasted nearly 40 hours, with some delays due to taller idols. Police worked continuously, using 9 drones and cameras on 35 high-rise buildings for surveillance.
During the event, 5 cases of minor disputes were recorded. Police arrested 170 people for misbehaving with women and other offenses like pickpocketing. The commissioner mentioned a decrease in crime compared to last year.
Despite some late starts by mandap organizers, all idols reached Hussain Sagar. The commissioner thanked the public, Ganesh Utsav Samithi, and mandap organizers for ensuring a peaceful event.
He praised the mandap organizers for their cooperation and expressed gratitude to police personnel for their tireless work over the 40-hour period.
