Ganesh immersions in Hyderabad continued at Hussain Sagar on Saturday amid heavy crowds, kilometre-long queues of idols and severe pressure on traffic and sanitation services across the city. Hundreds of idols were awaiting immersion at designated crane sites along Tank Bund, NTR Marg and Necklace Road, while Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and city police deployed additional personnel and machinery to manage the movement.
The immersions entered their second consecutive day as devotees arrived in processions from neighbourhoods across the twin cities. By Saturday morning, about 500 to 800 idols were waiting at key junctions around Hussain Sagar, according to the report. Processions included drums and traditional teen maar dances, adding to the volume of people, vehicles and floats moving towards the lake.
More than 40 cranes had been stationed around Hussain Sagar and were operating round-the-clock to support the immersion process. The heavy-duty equipment is being used at designated sites to handle the idols and keep the queues moving. Multi-tier security arrangements were also put in place by the city police and civic authorities as large crowds gathered along the main procession routes.
The current phase of immersions at Hussain Sagar is expected to conclude by 2 p.m. Traffic restrictions between Telangana Thalli flyover and Khairatabad Junction are likely to be lifted by the evening, subject to the movement of crowds and processions. Until then, bumper-to-bumper traffic and continuous movement of vehicles and floats are complicating access along the lakefront stretches.
The crowding has also created a major sanitation challenge. Mounds of plastic waste, food wrappers and other festive debris have accumulated along the procession routes. The continuous movement of vehicles and floats has made it difficult for sanitation workers to reach several stretches and clear the waste while the immersions are under way.
GHMC workers are on standby for a full-scale cleanup operation once the crowds disperse around Hussain Sagar. Cleanup operations are also expected in M J Market, Begum Bazar and other parts of the city affected by the processions. The timing of the drive will depend on the reduction of crowd and vehicular movement along the routes.
The scale of the operation has required the civic body to coordinate crane deployment, sanitation access, traffic management and crowd control at the same time. For residents and commuters, the immediate effects include restrictions on key routes, delays caused by processions and limited access for waste-collection teams. Authorities are expected to continue the immersion and traffic-management arrangements through the scheduled afternoon window before beginning the wider cleanup drive.
