11-day Ganesh chaturthi festivities concluded

The 11-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festivities concluded as thousands of devotees on Tuesday immersed idols of the elephant-headed deity at various designated spots across the twin-cities amidst fanfare and tight security. For the first time, the Balapur Ganesh was immersed by 5.50 pm and Khairatabad Ganesh at around 1 pm on Tuesday.

The annual ritual has now become a massive event in Greater Hyderabad where an estimated 10,500 idols in different sizes were immersed in various water bodies in the city and on the outskirts on Tuesday. In addition to the Hussain Sagar lake, the idols were immersed in Kapra Cheruvu, Saroornagar Lake, Rajanna Bavi, Mir Alam Tank, Palle Cheruvu, Pattikunta Cheruvu, Durgam Cheruvu, Malkam Cheruvu, Gopinagar Cheruvu, Pedda Cheruvu, Gangaram, Gurunatham Cheruvu, JP Nagar, Kaidamma Kunta in Hafizpet, Erla Cheruvu, Manjeera Road, Vinayaka Nagar Rayasamudram Lake, RC Puram, Sakicheruvu,



Patancheruvu, IDL Tank, Pragathinagar Cheruvu, Hasmathpet Cheruvu, Sunnam Cheruvu, Pariki Cheruvu, Venellagadda Cheruvu, Suraram Cheruvu, Kotha Cheruvu (Alwal lake) and Safilguda lake.

The NTR marg was flooded with people and vehicles leading to a massive traffic jam. But that did not deter people from flocking to the area.  Eager passers-by, who could not find space on the route for clear view of the Ganesh procession, chose Telugu Talli flyover as a vantage point. The sight of gigantic cranes lifting the Ganesh idols captivated their attention.  Regular commuters who opt for Mint Compound Road as a short cut to reach Khairatabad flyover were also put to inconvenience as the route was jammed.

The civic administration, Hyderabad Police, fire brigade and SRPF (State Reserve Police Force) have put in place elaborate security arrangements to ensure a peaceful immersion.