Hyderabad: The grand Ganesh immersion procession, marking the end of the 10-day Ganesh festival, continued for the second day on Wednesday. The event concluded peacefully as devotees bid farewell to Lord Ganesh. However, traffic came to a standstill due to a large number of vehicles carrying idols around Tank Bund.
Commuters who were on the roads early in the morning faced severe traffic jams. Many people heading to offices, workplaces, and students going to school were stuck in long traffic snarls on key roads near Hussainsagar. Though the police tried to manage the traffic, the congestion continued until the evening. Areas like Mozam Jahi Market, Nampally, Abids, Narayanaguda, Basheerbagh, Khairatabad, and Liberty experienced heavy traffic, and officials had to divert vehicles at several points.
Hundreds of trucks carrying Ganesh idols were seen lined up around Hussainsagar Lake. Despite instructions from officials, including the police and the Ganesh Samithi, to finish the immersion procession on the first day, many groups did not comply. Some pandals also ignored the relaxed deadline of 12 pm for playing loudspeakers, which led to more noise and traffic issues.
The police, who had issued a traffic advisory for just one day, had to extend it into the second day due to the ongoing processions. Major roads like the Telugu Talli flyover, Secretariat road, and NTR Marg were heavily congested, causing significant delays for commuters.
The main Maha Ganesh idol from Khairatabad was immersed on time at 1:30 pm on Tuesday. The massive procession from Balapur, which passed through Charminar and MJ Market, covered around 19 km and was completed as scheduled. However, other processions from different parts of the city were delayed and continued into the evening of the second day.
Observers pointed out that many pandal organizers delayed the immersion process, starting their vehicles after sunset on the main immersion day. The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi, which insisted on completing the immersion on Anant Chaturdashi (the 14th day), explained that Ganeshotsav traditionally starts with Chaturthi and ends with Anant Chaturdashi. They emphasized that idol immersion is not considered auspicious during the start of ‘Pitra Paksham,’ a period that begins on the full moon day.
According to data from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), a total of 1,25,111 idols were immersed in lakes and ponds across the city, including special immersion points set up by authorities. Around 13,810 idols were immersed at three locations around Hussainsagar, while IDL Lake in Moosapet saw the highest number of immersions at 28,946.
Meanwhile, GHMC sanitation workers were busy cleaning up garbage from the main procession routes, including NTR Marg and PVNR Marg. GHMC officials also closely monitored the cleanup of water bodies, ensuring that idol remains, pooja materials, and other waste were removed from lakes and ponds after the immersion.
