Hyderabad saw significant growth of new idols with 10-15% increase over prior years: CV Anand

HYDERABAD: The city's annual Ganesh Idols procession and final immersion successfully concluded on Friday evening, thanks to collaborative efforts from organizers, public, and city police, said commissioner CV Anand.

During a press conference at Rotary Junction, CV Anand said, the enthusiastic buzz of the immersion of the idols began right from the early hours on Thursday not only at Hussain Sagar, but also at other lakes and ponds, and lakhs of devotees participated in this procession.

"For the first time in history, the 65-foot Khairatabad Ganesh began its journey around 6:30 a.m. and was immersed at 1:30 p.m.," he said, while lauding the Central Zone DCP and his team of officers.

He thanked Muslim clerics and the community in particular for their decision to postpone the Milad Julus till October 1, 2023. CV Anand said that during the occasion, a remarkable 10,200 idols, each measuring 3 feet or more, were immersed, with the total number of idols immersed varying from 50,000 to 60,000.

Many pandal organisers began their procession later than planned, resulting in an extended duration of the procession Following an aerial survey yesterday, zone DCPs were tasked to engage with pandal organisers and encouraged them to start as soon as possible, he said.

This year, the city saw a notable increase in the number of new idols, with a 10-15 percent increase over prior years.The grandeur and enthusiasm surrounding the festival was also notably high, he added.

The top brass lauded the dedicated efforts of all levels of city police who worked for more than 40 hours continuously and made special mention about the efforts of SHE teams for apprehending 255 individuals involved in harassing women at various rush spots, said CV Anand.

The taskforce teams and crime teams maintained a high level of vigilance throughout the event to ensure the safety and security of lakhs of devotees.

He hoped that in the forthcoming years, organizers would take measures to start the procession at its earliest scheduled time. He added that roads were now open to general traffic.