HYDERABAD: With more than 30 lakh devotees expected to visit Khairatabad Bada Ganesh this year, Hyderabad Traffic Police are making special arrangements to manage the rush.
As part of the preparations, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Joel Davis and senior officials inspected key routes around Khairatabad on Saturday and reviewed the arrangements.
To ease congestion, police advised devotees to use Metro, MMTS and RTC buses instead of private vehicles. Metro services will run from 6 am to 11 pm, while special RTC buses will be operated to accommodate the rush.
To regulate the movement of devotees, four main entry routes have been identified — from Khairatabad Metro Station, Dwarka Hotel and Telephone Bhavan, Mint Compound and IMAX Prasads, and the colony route behind the idol.
Police also advised devotees to visit in the mornings and on weekdays, as heavy crowds are expected during afternoons, weekends and holidays. Parking will be available at IMAX Ground, HMDA Lake View Parking, E-Racing Ground, Maktha Parking on Necklace Road and Visvesvaraya Bhavan.
For those using cabs and autos, designated pick-up and drop-off points will be provided near the MMTS station. Traffic diversions will also be imposed on several roads around Khairatabad.
With the area expected to see a steady flow of visitors, around 500 police personnel will be deployed at key junctions. Separate pedestrian queues and barricades will also be arranged to regulate the crowd.
The traffic police said darshan at Bada Ganesh will conclude on September 23.
TGSRTC to run special buses
Hyderabad: The Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) will operate special bus services for devotees visiting the Khairatabad Maha Ganapati and Balapur Ganesh pandals during the Ganesh festivities from September 14 to 24.
TGSRTC VC and MD Y Nagi Reddy said the services would operate via major bus stations, including Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) and Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS).
RTC buses from JBS to the Balapur Ganesh pandal will run via Patny, Bata, Boat Club, Tank Bund, IMAX, Khairatabad, Lakdikapul, Gandhi Bhavan, Afzalgunj, MGBS, Women’s College, J Garden,
Government Press, IS Sadan, Pisal Banda, Midani Township, Balapur X Road and Shivaji Chowk. Services from JBS will begin at 6 am and run until 9.55 pm at intervals of 40 to 50 minutes, depending on passenger demand. Return services from the Balapur Ganesh pandal will operate from 7.55 am to 11.50 pm.
