Hyderabad: First delays and then the heavy downpour dampened the spirits of those who thronged the Hussainsagar lake for the grand immersion of Ganesh idols on Wednesday.
The arrival of the main procession itself was delayed and even as the procession picked up some momentum late in the evening, the heavy downpour made many, especially those who arrived here from neighbouring districts, return home disappointed.
Business hit
Right from the crack of dawn, pushcart vendors, petty traders and others arrived at NTR Marg, Tank Bund and Necklace Road to set up their businesses. But all their efforts to do some brisk business amidst the revelry did not pay off well. Though, a carnival like atmosphere prevailed since afternoon at these stretches, the slow pace of the procession did not the set the mood for people.
The Irrigation Department had arranged heavy cranes at 10 immersion points at NTR Marg and about 24 points at Tank Bund but there was hardly any work for the operators till late in the afternoon.
“I turned up at 2 p.m. and hardly there was any big idol at NTR Marg. We have been waiting for hours. It got very late this year,” said Sheshadri Rao, a resident of Domalguda.
Many who arrived in the capital from different districts to witness the immersion were left disappointed. “My family is in the city specially to view the immersion procession but we are disappointed. To make it worse the rains that lashed in the evening forced us to leave the venue,” lamented Raj Kumar Goud from Warangal.
Echoing the same, petty vendors said their business was affected badly due to rain. “The sales were not encouraging and to make matters worse, the heavy rain forced many to shut their business as most of the articles are perishable,” said Ramlal, a snack vendor.
The Irrigation Department authorities said till 2 p.m. about 150 idols were immersed at NTR Marg and the number increased to 350 till 7.30 p.m. At Tank Bund, there was some immersion activity and about 1,000 idols from Secunderabad and surrounding areas were immersed till 8 p.m.
However, braving the rains, those accompanying the idols danced to the drumbeats and cheered other idols on their way to Tank Bund, NTR Marg and other places. Given the delay and weather conditions, the authorities expect the immersion to continue till afternoon of Thursday.
