Hyderabad prepares for Ganesh nimmajjan with a security dragnet

The Khairatabad Ganesh organisers announced that a Kalasha pooja would be performed around midnight, hours before the immersion of the 69-foot idol at Tank Bund. On Friday, devotees rushing for a final glimpse were stopped at barricades, with Hyderabad police informing the crowds that the bada Ganesh idol was “closed for darshan” and that “public is not allowed.” Long queues of people were seen piling up along barricaded routes in the streets of Khairatabad and Saifabad leading to the idol site.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy visited the Khairatabad idol on Friday afternoon and recalled that the festivities had been conducted by the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi for 71 years. He interacted with organisers and reviewed the arrangements before the immersion scheduled for Saturday.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand said that security and traffic management measures had been scaled up for what is expected to be one of the largest immersions in the country. About 50,000 idols are set to be immersed in the Hussainsagar alone, while the citywide immersion processions are likely to stretch over 40 hours. Nearly 29,000 police personnel will be deployed in shifts, supported by drone surveillance and 250 additional CCTV cameras installed at key junctions.

The Police Commissioner also reiterated the city police’s ban on DJs during the festival, pointing to past incidents of deaths and health issues among youngsters due to high-decibel sound systems. “This is about public health, not religion,” he said, adding that the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi had agreed to comply with the restriction.

The Commissioner noted that efforts were underway to complete the Khairatabad Ganesh immersion between 6.00 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. to ease traffic congestion and maintain order along the 2.5 km procession route to Hussainsagar.