Immersion of Lord Vinayaka idols marking conclusion of Ganesh Chaturthi festivities underway in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The immersion process of Lord Vinayaka idols in waterbodies following the nine-day-long Ganesh Chaturthi festivities is underway here on Thursday amid elaborate security arrangements.

About 90,000 idols of Lord Vinayaka are expected to be immersed in Hussain Sagar and numerous other lakes and waterbodies during the 'Nimajjanam' (immersion) process.

The main attraction of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities in Hyderabad every year is the tall idol installed at Khairatabad in the central part of the city.

The organisers have installed a 63-ft tall idol this year and it was taken for immersion on Thursday morning.

In the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate itself, as many as 11,000 idols were installed for worship this year, police sources said.

The government has made adequate arrangements for immersion, including deploying cranes in the city.

Meanwhile, the police have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure that the event goes on smoothly.

More than 30,000 security personnel are on duty in the state capital and its periphery for the immersion, which is expected to continue till Friday.

Accompanied by the heads of Traffic, Law and Order and Special Branch, Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand on Tuesday carried a route inspection, commencing from the prominent Balapur Ganesh Temple to several significant areas along the way, a press release had said.

The city police appealed to the public to cooperate with law enforcement officials and follow safety guidelines to make this year’s Ganesh idols procession and immersion a memorable and incident-free celebration.