The final immersion procession of Ganesh idols that commenced on Saturday morning in the capital continued till Sunday afternoon and it was 4 p.m. when the last idol was put in.
All strategies adopted by the authorities to conclude the immersion by dawn, in view of the Telangana March later in the day, went in vain. There was also an opinion that it was deliberately delayed to thwart those coming for the Telangana March to come near Tank Bund.
Braving rains that lashed the city late on Saturday night, various pandal organisers remained on the procession roads till immersions were completed. Many idols, particularly those from Sitaphalmandi, Warasiguda, Tarnaka and other areas were caught in a serpentine line till 2.30 p.m. at the Liberty Junction.
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The police, however, ensured that the Khairatabad Ganesh — city’s tallest idol, began its immersion journey by 4 p.m. and eventually the idol was immersed around 2 a.m. on Sunday, the fastest in recent times.
Petty vendors and mobile tiffin centres made a brisk business as organisers and people in the idol-carrying vehicles had to stay put on the roads. Some who returned home on Saturday night, came back to witness the immersion.