Over 2.68L Ganesh idols immersed in 40-hour yatra across Hyderabad

The Ganesh idol immersion in Hyderabad entered its second day on Sunday with police reporting a largely peaceful conclusion to the main procession. Officials said over 2.68 lakh idols were immersed from the third to the 11th day, of which at least 1.20 lakh were placed in baby ponds and small lakes.

Through the city’s online registration system, 12,030 idols were listed, with 7,330 immersed earlier and 4,700 during the main event. As of Sunday afternoon, around 900 idols remained at Necklace Road awaiting immersion.

The immersion procession lasted close to 40 hours, slightly delayed as some idols were taller than 40 feet, said Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand. “Police worked continuously for two days without sleep to oversee the exercise, using nine drones and cameras installed on 35 high rise buildings for surveillance. The Central Zone Police coordinated with GHMC, RTA, HMDA, Revenue and Electricity departments to manage the large-scale operation,” said the officer.

He added that the immersion was completed ahead of schedule with support from the Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Samithi.

Police registered five cases of minor disputes, arrested 170 people for misbehaving with women, and detained several others for pickpocketing. Mr.Anand stated that incidents had reduced compared to last year.

He noted that the immersion programme would be deemed fully complete only after all traffic diversions are removed. While some organisers began their processions late, all idols were successfully moved to Hussainsagar. Mr. Anand said that remaining immersions would continue without causing inconvenience to the public.

He thanked the public, Ganesh Utsav Samithi and mandap organisers for their cooperation, and acknowledged police personnel who worked without rest for nearly 40 hours. He also appreciated officials from various departments who worked together at the T.G. ICCC Multi-Agency War Room to resolve issues in real time.

The briefing was also attended by senior officers, including Additional CP Law and Order Vikram Singh Mann, Additional CP Crime P. Vishwa Prasad, Joint CP Traffic D. Joel Davis, DCP DD N. Swetha, DCP Central Zone K. Shilpa Valli and DCP Car Headquarters Rakshita Krishna Murthy.

Over 11,000 tonnes of waste were cleared as GHMC intensified post-immersion clean-up. Commissioner of the civic body, R.V. Karnan, along with senior officials, is monitoring the proceedings on the ground to ensure both safety and efficiency in the process. Authorities said large-scale immersions have been running without disruption and are being managed with coordinated field supervision.

Sanitation has become a major focus, with GHMC staff collecting over 11,000 tonnes of waste since the start of the festival. The collected waste has been shifted to the processing centre at Jawahar Nagar. In addition, the civic body has intensified efforts to clear debris and garbage from immersion points and along the routes of idol processions.