The 10-day long Ganesh Chaturthi festival will culminate today with the immersion of Lord Ganesha’s idols on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.
Around 6,500 Sarvajanik Ganpati idols and one crore 75 lakh household Ganpatis will be immersed in Mumbai at 65 natural water bodies and 205 artificial ponds created for the purpose.
he Ganesh Visarjan ceremony, local administrations along with Mumbai police have made elaborate arrangements for security, cleanliness, health and environment-friendly arrangements.
Traffic is being regulated and security arrangements have been tightened. The 10,000 strong surveillance camera network in the city will be used to monitor huge crowd coming to Mumbai beaches to bid final adieu to their beloved Bappa for this year.
There will be particularly heavy police deployment at popular immersion spots like Girgaon Chowpatty, Dadar, Juhu, Versova and Powai and for prominent mandals.
For women’s safety, Nirbhaya Squads will patrol the streets, besides policewomen dressed in plainclothes. For the first time, Mumbai Police will use AI technology during Ganpati Visarjan to manage crowds and monitor processions.
In Telangana, all arrangements are in place for one of its biggest religious gatherings as the annual Ganesh Immersion (Visarjan) takes place in Hyderabad today. Elaborate security and civic arrangements have been made for the Shobha Yatra to be taken out later this morning.
Akashvani correspondent reports, After offering prayers to Lord Ganesha at specially erected pandals, devotees in Hyderabad are all set to say – goodbye Ganesha in a grand manner. Over 50 thousand Ganesh idols of various hues, colours and sizes will be brought in Shobha Yatra for immersion today.
The procession of the biggest Ganesh idol of Khairatabad, 69 ft-tall Vishwashanti Mahashakti Ganapati, will be taken out in a couple of hours this morning. A mega crane has been placed at the immersion point to handle the large eco-friendly clay idol.
The Main Ganesh Shobha Yatra will start later this morning from Balapur and reaches Hussain Sagar after passing through the old city and central parts of Hyderabad while the tributary Yatras from all sides of the city will merge with it.
Lakhs of devotees are expected to join the Shoba Yatra, which will mark the end of the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.
Over 30 thousand police personnel have been deployed while 15 thousand sanitation workers are pressed into service to ensure the smooth and peaceful immersion of Ganesh idols.
While the immersions are being held mainly at Hussain Sagar Lake, they will also be held at several other lakes in and around the city and also at 72 specially created artificial ponds.
About 130 permanent cranes and 250 mobile cranes have been put in place at Hussain Sagar for the immersion, which will continue till tomorrow.
