HYDERABAD: In a first, the immersion of Ganesh idols in the city will be monitored with the help of drone-mounted cameras. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad police have decided to use them around NTR Marg and Tank Bund Road during the 10-day festival this year.
A private agency hired to help with the task on Sunday began conducting trials as part of a study on the depth of the lake near NTR Marg Road. Based on the study, a report will be submitted to the GHMC within a couple of days. GHMC Mayor Bonthu Rammohan was present at the trial on Sunday.
Every year, the corporation uses at least 10 heavy cranes at NTR Marg to immerse hundreds of huge idols. The mammoth Khairatabad Ganesh idol is also immersed into the lake from here.
However, since certain areas of the lake are shallow, many idols do not get completely immersed. To avoid the piling up at idols at immersion points due to this, officials of the GHMC have sought to ascertain the depth of the water at different points near the shore of the lake. The drones will be used to find the distance between the lake bed and the surface of the water.
At points where the lake is too shallow for immersion of idols, the GHMC and the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) will deepen it by removing the silt and garbage accumulated on the lake bed, so that idols can easily be immersed, and not end up on the surface of the water.
The regions of the lake that are found to be deep will be utilised for immersion of large idols, while the shallow parts will be used to immerse the smaller ones.
Eye in the sky to help control crowds and manage traffic too.
Besides being used to aid the idol-immersion process, drones will help monitor crowds and traffic movement around the lake, where lakhs of people are expected to assemble for the immersion of Ganesh idols. Drone-mounted cameras will help the authorities study the availability of space and the size of crowds that can assemble near the lake. They will also help the police anticipate the volume of incoming and outgoing traffic