Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) Commissioner, R V Karnan, has called for cooperation from the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi and government officials to ensure the upcoming Ganesh festival is peaceful. The festival will start on August 27 and end on September 6.
A meeting took place on Monday at the GHMC headquarters. It included senior officials from the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi and relevant departments to plan for the festival.
Karnan mentioned repairs are ongoing for roads damaged by rain in the city. Roads on the national highways for Ganesh idol processions will also be fixed. More cranes will be available this year for a smooth immersion process, as advised by the police. He assured the Samithi that there are no budget concerns for the festival, and more funds will be provided for activities and support. Coordination meetings will be held in different zones to ensure everything runs smoothly, addressing past issues to avoid inconvenience.
Additional Commissioner (Law & Order) Vikram Singh Mann shared suggestions for a smooth festival. He credited collaboration between Bhagyanagar, various Ganesh Utsav Samitis, and government departments for the festival’s seamless celebrations each year. He stressed the use of good quality materials for building Ganesh pandals and mandapams, especially due to expected heavy rains.
Vikram Singh advised planning idol installations according to route maps and vehicle heights to avoid processional issues. He recommended installing at least one CCTV camera at every mandapam and suggested using volunteer services, with a minimum of three volunteers at larger venues. He also proposed separate routes for visitors to bigger mandapams. He stated that if all Ganesh idol processions, including those in Khairatabad and Balapur, start on time, the immersion process will go smoothly.
Many officials attended the meeting, including Traffic Joint CP Joel Davis, Additional Commissioners Raghu Prasad and Subhadra, and HMDA Joint Commissioner Kota Srivastava. Others present were from HMDA, HMRL, TSRTC, and the police of Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda Commissionerate. Officials from the HMWSSB, Fire, Irrigation, Tourism, Health, Pollution Control Board, and Transco departments also participated.
