HYDERABAD: With Ganesh Chaturthi round the corner, pandal organisers are gearing up to set up taller idols in regards to the government's instructions on the height of idols.
According to official statistics, over 55,000 idol mandaps are set up in Hyderabad every year and this year the number is said to cross one lakh.
Dhoolpet, the hub of Ganesh idol making abuzz, as buyers have started visiting the place to select the idols of their choice.
"We start making idols inFebruary itself. It takes six monthsto make idols. Buyers have started buying idols. Though government is asking people not to install tall idols, demands for all types of idols are pouring in. We get customers from not just Hyderabad but all parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Though we make Ganesh idols of all sizes, most of the demand will be for idols ranging between 10 and 20 ft of height," said SK Lodha, an idol maker at Dhoolpet.
Though the government has not officially put any restrictions on idol height, chief secretary Rajiv Sharma had held a meeting a month ago urging Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS) to restrict the idol heights below 15 ft. Though officially not enforcing the protocol, police have been instructing Ganesh mandap organisers in their areas to restrict the height of idols.
BGUS has also decided that immersion of idols is going to be held in Hussain Sagar itself, thus making it a grand spectacle. Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations will start on September 5 and end on September 15.
Amid differences between government and Ganesh pandal organisers on idol heights, Khairtabad Ganesh will continue to charm people even this year, as it will be of 58 ft height.