All set for Ganesh immersion on Sunday

HYDERABAD: City departments are gearing themselves up for the massive Ganesha immersion procession on Sunday, after a break last year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The GHMC, in coordination with the HMWS&SB, HMDA, police, electricity, tourism, fire and road and buildings departments, have put in place personnel and machinery to ensure that the procession passes off smoothly.

The GHMC is deploying 214 Ganesha Action Teams (GATs) on the procession routes. Each team, comprising a sanitary supervisor, three sanitary field assistants and 21 persons, will clean three-km stretches. These teams will work in three shifts a day until all the garbage is removed.

Authorities say like every year, the Khairatabad idol will be immersed by the afternoon, followed by the Balapur idol and others. However, Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS) general secretary Bhagvanth Rao maintains that the Khairatabad Ganesha idol will be immersed “at any time on Sunday”.

As many as 116 static cranes, apart from 56 mobile cranes, will be used at 33 locations. HMDA will remove idols soon after their immersion from Hussainsagar and NTR Marg. Fire department will station 38 fire tenders along the procession routes. Three boats each will be deployed at Saroornagar, Kapra, Pragathinagar lakes and Hussainsagar on the Tank Bund side, while two boats will be on PV Marg side of the latter. There will be four spare boats and 10 expert swimmers at Hussainsagar. Water board is setting up 101 drinking water camps across the city.

Electricity department has procured 48 transformers for deployment around Hussainsagar and five around Saroornagar Lake. In all, 101 transformers will be used. The GHMC said 41,284 temporary lights are being installed in the area, which will cost Rs 1.52 crore. The urban biodiversity wing has deployed staff for pruning trees along the procession routes.

Over 25,000 policemen, including personnel from central paramilitary forces, will ensure security. Nine companies of central paramilitary forces and police forces from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and other neighbouring states will be in the twin cities to ensure law and order. Over 1,000 CCTV cameras are being installed along the main procession route to ensure a peaceful immersion.