Hyderabad Police Finalise Safety, Traffic Plan for Ganesh Immersion

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar chaired an inter-departmental coordination meeting on Wednesday to review preparations for the upcoming Ganesh Chaturthi and idol immersion procession. The meeting, held at Visvesvaraya Bhavan in Khairatabad, focused on streamlining safety and logistical arrangements across the city.

Officials were directed to work in close coordination and implement preventive measures based on incidents from the past five years. A key instruction was to clear all loose or hanging electricity, cable, and internet wires along the procession routes, ensuring proper height clearance to avoid accidents. Ganesh mandapams must be provided with safe electrical connections, complete with mandatory earthing and approvals from the Electrical Inspectorate. Power shutdowns or wire-clearance work will require prior coordination with local police stations.

All ongoing road, nala, and slab work along main and feeder routes must be completed by September 14-15. No new digging, drilling, or cable-laying will be permitted until the immersion process concludes. In light of Metro Rail construction in the Old City, officials were urged to expedite the shifting of power poles on affected routes.

The Health department has been tasked with setting up 26 special medical camps across the city, including dedicated facilities in the Balapur area, all equipped with ambulances and round-the-clock paramedical staff. The water board and municipal corporation will ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply and sanitation.

For traffic management, authorities will identify adequate parking and vehicle-holding zones. The transport department will arrange sufficient buses, goods vehicles, and drivers. Departments must also submit shift-wise details of cranes and their crews in advance.

To keep the public informed, authorities will use television tickers and press notifications to announce queue closures at major idols, including the Khairatabad Ganesh. On the final immersion day, September 25, special transport arrangements are planned, with Metro Rail services running until 1 a.m. and overnight MMTS services connecting key stations like Nampally, Lakdi-ka-pul, Khairatabad, and Begumpet.