Hyderabad: The lunar eclipse on September 7 is prompting the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi to complete the centralised immersion of Ganesh idols starting from Balapur to Hussainsagar by night on September 6. As many as 1.40 lakh Ganesh idols up to five feet and above are expected to be worshiped during the 11-Vinayaka Chaturthi across the city from August 27 to September 6 on a colourful note. The district administration started making elaborate arrangements for the peaceful conduct of the centralized procession on September 6. A few days ago, Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand convened a preparatory meeting with officials concerned. However, every year, the immersion process would continue till the next day afternoon or beyond because of a large number of vehicles with Ganesh idols thronging the lakes and standing in queue especially on upper Tank Bund and NTR Ghat. This time, the members of the Samithi already began sensitizing the pandal organizers to start the procession by 6 am on September 6 in view of the lunar eclipse on September 7. “We are taking all measures to educate the pandal organizers to complete the immersion of idols by late evening on September 6,” Samithi general secretary Ravinuthala Shashidhar told Deccan Chronicle on Friday. He said the Samithi was making a fervent appeal to the pandal organizers in this regard as it is considered as inauspicious to hold any religious ritual before eclipse sets in. As the centralized procession would start from Balapur, a separate request was made to the organizers to start laddu auction in the morning and start the procession from 11 am on the immersion day. “We are leaving no stone unturned in starting the procession at 11 am so that the vehicles carrying idols reach Sri Bhagya Laxmi temple abutting Charminar at 12 noon and by 2 pm at MJ Market before heading to Hussainsagar via Abids, Gunfoundry, Basheerbagh and Liberty crossroads,” he said. “As of now, the response from pandal organizers is encouraging. With this, we are hopeful of conducting the immersion of idols within the time frame,” Shashidhar explained. Before the procession reaches Hussainsagar, the immersion of the towering Ganesh idol at Khairatabad would be completed by noon at NTR Ghat, he added. Shashidhar said the immersion would be conducted at 66 water bodies including 32 major lakes at Saroornagar, Sunnam Cheruvu and Safilguda, among other areas apart from Hussainsagar.
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