Amid pomp and gaiety, the city bid a peaceful farewell to the elephant God on Thursday and no untoward incident was reported.
The city reverberated with Ganesh Maharaj Ki Jai slogans and thousands of devotees, especially youngsters, were seen waving saffron flags on the streets.
Officials said more than 50,000 idols, including the towering Khairatabad Ganesh and famous Balapur Ganesh, were taken in a massive procession on 162-km circuit leading to Hussainsagar. Though the Khairatabad Ganesh was immersed in the lake by 1.40 p.m., the main procession line was not formed in the Old City till 1 p.m. The Balapur Ganesh crossed the historic Charminar only after 5 p.m.
“This time the idols came a bit late from the southern parts of the city and it will impact the immersion process at Tank Bund and other lakes across the city,” a senior police officer said.
In-charge Joint Commissioner of Police (South Zone) Avinash Mohanty said nearly 1,000 idols would join the main procession at Tank Bund from Old City.
Police and personnel of the central forces deployed for bandobast duty were seen on tenterhooks as they were keen on ensuring the safety of every devotee.
Speaking to The Hindu , Hyderabad Commissioner of Police Anjani Kumar said everything went as per the plan. “With no untoward incident reported, the entire procession went off peacefully,” he said. He said the ‘quick-release’ hooks attached to the cranes for lowering the idols have come as a saviour during the immersion. “The scientifically-designed hooks, which are being used since the last year, are a super success and the immersion time is coming down drastically,” he said, adding that at least three to four minutes are saved during the immersion of each idol. The officer said there was not much traffic jam on the Tank Bund and NTR Marg owing to the use of 180 hooks attached to 45 cranes across Hussainsagar.
Later in the evening, Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali along with Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy and Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar undertook an aerial survey of the immersion procession in the city. The DGP and senior police officers monitored the State-wide processions from the police headquarters here.
