Hyd delays Milad-un-Nabi procession for Ganesh immersion

With the procession on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi deferred to 14 September, authorities in Hyderabad are gearing up for the final large-scale immersion of Ganesh idols in Hussain Sagar tomorrow. While the 69-feet-tall and 28-feet-wide Bada Ganesh at Khairatabad will start its journey at 6 am, the procession of the Balapur Ganesh idol will cover 19 km before it reaches the immersion point at Hussain Sagar Lake.

Around 50,000 idols will be immersed in the lake tomorrow. The Khairatabad Ganesh, made with clay, saw long queues today as devotees tried to catch a glimpse of the massive idol on the final day before immersion.

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However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to the city on the immersion day was cancelled due to the upcoming vice-presidential elections. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy today visited the Bada Ganesh at Khairatabad, organised by Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi, and offered puja. He said his government has provided free power to Ganesh pandals. Reddy called upon the people to go through the immersion with devotion and care, ensuring no inconvenience is caused to the public at Tank Bund and other areas, as Hyderabad city stands as a symbol of communal harmony.

Ahead of the immersion day, the mosques on the route of the procession have been covered with white cloth to avoid any untoward incidents. Commissioner of Police (Hyderabad) CV Anand said that following discussions with community leaders, the procession on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi has been shifted to 14 September to avoid overlapping with Ganesh immersion.

The CP said, “The total number of cranes around Hussain Sagar Lake will be around 40, and they have all been stationed already… We have requested them (organisers) to move the idols well on time and not delay because it causes problems to everyone involved, not only them, but everyone – the government agencies who are on duty for almost two days. The road repairs, tree pruning, and electrical wire shifting have been completed. We are ready with the bandobast. Around 29,000 police personnel will be on duty on the streets of Hyderabad, 9,000 of whom have come from outside.”

The procession route of Balapur Ganesh will cover a distance of 19 km, passing through the Old City areas, including Chandrayangutta, Falaknuma, Charminar, MJ Market, and Telugu Talli flyover before concluding at the immersion point in Hussain Sagar. The Hyderabad Metro also extended timings for the Hyderabad Metro from 6 am to 1 am on 7 September. Before immersion, the customary auction of laddoos every year also leads to considerable excitement among devotees.