The unusual time taken for the last Ganesh idol to be immersed into the Hussainsagar till late on Monday afternoon flattened the already fatigued GHMC staff and officials.
The last idol was immersed at 3 p.m. on NTR Marg and by about 2 p.m., the operation was completed on Tank Bund.
The municipal corporation pressed as many as 2,500 personnel into service for the clean-up operations on the weekend, including 1,200 staff belonging to the entomology wing. But, what they did not bargain for was the seemingly endless procession of Ganesh idols from the old city and other places way past noon hour.
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“The clean-up job has been continuous. We have been rotating the sweepers and cleaners. There were many working continuously from 5 p.m. on Sunday to 1 p.m. on Monday,” explained Additional Commissioner (Health & Sanitation) S. Aleem Basha. Last year, immersion was completed by 9 a.m. and the previous year it was completed by a record time of 5 a.m.
The drudgery and magnitude of the task can be better understood when work had to be done even with vehicular movement in the morning. A “slight interruption” meant things would have gone haywire. “We have been collecting 1,000 metric tonnes more garbage for the last few days and any disruption means that much extra load to be carried later,” he pointed out.
The municipal staff has been cleaning right from the beginning point of the procession at Balapur to Chandrayanagutta, M.J. Market, Lakdikapul and Saifabad, all the stuff ranging from food material, packaging material, flowers, plastic sachets, and other sundry things emanating from the procession and from scores of people thronging the immersion points around the lake.
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An estimated 1,300 metric tonnes of garbage was lifted from the main spots around the lake as more than 100 vehicles from the small tippers, bobcarts to sweeping machines, 25 tonners and 10 tonners were pressed into service. Another 200 metric tonnes may have been generated from pandals.
Mobile toilets were provided at Tank Bund, NTR Marg and Charminar. At each platform, two swimmers were ready to jump for any rescue. Operation clean up was also undertaken at the lakes of Saroornagar, L. B. Nagar, Safilguda, Malkajgiri, Kapra, Durgam Cheruvu, IDL, Bowenpally, Pragatinagar and Kukatpally.