The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : All set for hassle-free Ganesh procession

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 27, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

All set for hassle-free Ganesh procession

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 26. The D-day has arrived. A 22,000-strong police force, including the entire top brass, will be on the city roads on Monday to ensure that the Ganesh immersion passes off peacefully. "The strength of the police personnel manning the procession has been increased by 10 per cent this year," the Hyderabad Police Commissioner, R. P. Singh, said here on Sunday.

Coordination

Learning lessons from the Ganesh immersion processions in the past, Mr. Singh said people from all communities and Maitri committee members have been roped in to ensure that there are no hitches. The city police was fully geared up to meet any situation and all the departments were working in coordination, he asserted.

Hugh alert

At a joint press conference addressed by the Cyberabad Police Commissioner, M. Mahendar Reddy, the Hyderabad Collector, Arvind Kumar, the MCH Commissioner, Chitra Ramachandran, and officials of various departments, Mr. Singh said a close watch was being maintained on anti-social elements and those likely to foment trouble.

With the recent arrest of a Lashkar-E-Toiba (LET) module, the police are on a high state of alert, he said.

Like every year, the procession would be stopped at Shalibanda during noon prayers at Mecca Masjid and idols, which already pass the area, would be cleared from Charminar. "We have an unwritten agreement on that," he maintained.

Control rooms

Mr. Mahendar Reddy said that five control rooms have been set up at all the five immersion points in the surrounding municipalities.

"Cyberabad is a protective wing around Hyderabad," he pointed out.

Ms. Ramachandran said mobile medical teams would be stationed at Sardar Mahal, Charminar, Nalgonda crossroads, Amberpet and M. J. Market.

She said 60 ace swimmers would be deployed to meet any eventuality. The debris on the roads en route had been cleared, she said.

Asked whether a study was made on the problems faced by each department last year, she said problems identified during studies were being rectified this year. "There were problems but we are trying to improve," she admitted.

The Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Tejdeep Kaur Menon, gave a presentation on the 63 traffic diversions in the twin cities.

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