The State government is planning elaborate arrangements to celebrate the Ganesh Navaratri festivities on a grand scale by following all COVID norms, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Talasani Srinivas Yadav said on Saturday.
The government has not imposed any restrictions on the height of the idols and asked the Ganesh Utsav committees led by Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Committee to install idols as per their plans, keeping in mind the conditions in their areas and along the shobha yatra route.
Speaking at a high-level meeting convened to discuss the arrangements for Ganesh Chaturthi festivities on Saturday, he said that the festivities would begin with installation of Ganesh idols on September 10 and end with immersion on September 19.
Ministers A. Indrakaran Reddy (Endowments), C. Malla Reddy (Labour), Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, DGP M. Mahender Reddy, GHMC Mayor G. Vijayalakshmi, Deputy Mayor M. Srilatha, Government Whip M.S. Prabhakar Rao, a host of civic, police, municipal administration, roads and buildings, health, water works, endowments and other officers, BGUC members Raghava Reddy, Bhagawanth Rao, and organisers of other GUCs participated in the meeting.
Mr. Yadav asked the GUCs to bring it to government notice, in case they face any problems with the police in matters of setting up idols and pandals. He asked the DGP to issue clear instructions to the three police commissioners.
Responding to the complaint of organisers of Balapur Ganesh shobha yatra that the road of the procession was badly damaged due to the recent rains, the Minister asked the GHMC Commissioner to visit the area on Monday and take up road repair works. Khairatabad GUC president Sudarshan appealed to the police to cooperate with them in organising the festivities and also arrange a crane.
On a complaint raised by former corporator S. Prabhakar stating that Uppal, Malkajgiri and Secunderabad areas’ GUCs were facing difficulties during the immersions, Mr. Yadav assured to hold a special meeting with the officials of the areas soon. As per the statistics available with the government, about 33,000 idols were installed during the 2019 Ganesh festivities and about 30,000 police personnel were deployed for the event, the minister said.
He also explained that about 300 static and mobile cranes would deployed for the movement of idols from pandals and immersion at different places/lakes and if need be, more cranes would be deployed. He asked all the department to be prepared to meet the exigencies to make Ganesh festivities a grand success by following COVID norms as Bonalu were organised successfully.
The minister wanted the authorities concerned to deploy staff in three shifts during the Genesh festivities, take up road repairs, make barricading wherever necessary, arrange lighting and generators and make available mobile transformers for quality power supply, keep boats and swimmers available at immersion points. As part of pollution control measures, HMDA would distribute 70,000 Ganesh idols, GHMC 50,000 and Endowments Department 40,000.
