HYDERABAD: The Ganesh Visarjan, which used to attract a sea of people from across Hyderabad every year, was comparatively a sombre and low-key affair on Tuesday as many kept away from the immersion procession amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Only small groups of devotees were seen carrying small and medium-sized idols of the elephant-headed god for immersion at Hussainsagar, marking the end of the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.
Ganesh idols from the famous pandals of Khairtabad and Balapur, among others, were taken to Tank Bund and NTR Marg in a low-key procession, as compared to previous years, amid tight security by police. The police department had deployed nearly 15,000 personnel to monitor the immersion, while the Telangana government arranged for 21 cranes at Tank Bund and NTR Marg.
The government authorities expect about 30,000 idols to be immersed across the city. A few thousand idols, which were smaller in size, were immersed in different water bodies in Greater Hyderabad. Though a low-key affair, authorities made elaborate arrangements for the smooth conduct of the procession.
Balapur laddu not auctioned
For the first time since 1994, the Balapur Ganesh Utsav Samithi did not auction its 21-kg laddu this year because of the pandemic. In 2019, the auction had fetched `17.60 lakh.
Every year, over 20 people from different parts of Telangana bid for the laddu but this time, the Balapur Samithi members decided to present it to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Many other Ganesh mandapams in Hyderabad did not go for laddu auction for the same reason.
In view of the pandemic, the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS) and other organisations decided not to arrange any prasadam distribution and to strictly follow the Covid-19 guidelines. The BGUS committee members also did not visit any of the mandapams.
No centralised procession
Devotees, on the other hand, were disappointed as they could not see off Ganesha with the usual fanfare. As there was no centarilsed procession from Balapur to Tank Bund of 18 km, the Shobha Yatra of the Balapur Ganesh idol commenced early and the idol was immersed in Tank Bund in the afternoon itself.The Khairtabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi also took its idol in the morning and immersed it in the evening at NTR Marg.