Ganesh immersion finale to take over Hyderabad roads on Friday
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Route map for the immersion day released by the Hyderabad Traffic Police. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement
A sea of Ganesh idols, trucks and devotees will take over Hyderabad’s roads on the final day of immersion on Friday, with the main procession travelling from Balapur through Old City and central Hyderabad before reaching Tank Bund.
From Balapur, the procession will travel through Keshavagiri, Chandrayangutta, Falaknuma, Aliabad, Nagulchinta, Charminar, Madina, Afzalgunj, M.J. Market, Abids, Basheerbagh and Liberty before reaching the immersion points along NTR Marg and PVNR Marg.
Processions from Secunderabad, Uppal, Dilsukhnagar, Tarnaka, Tolichowki, Mehdipatnam, Erragadda, Tappachabutra, Asifnagar, Kulsumpura, Jiyaguda, Attapur, Aramghar, Kamatipura and Bahadurpura will feed into the main route or head towards the immersion areas through designated corridors.
For commuters, that means a large part of central Hyderabad will effectively belong to the procession for much of Friday and into Saturday morning.
No traffic other than vehicles carrying Ganesh idols will be permitted along the main procession route from 6 a.m. on Friday until 10 a.m. on Saturday. Restrictions on NTR Marg, PVNR Marg, Tank Bund and Khairatabad Flyover could continue until Saturday evening depending on the progress of immersion.
Police have advised motorists to use the Inner Ring Road, the Masab Tank-Punjagutta-Begumpet-Secunderabad corridor or the Outer Ring Road.
Police have also listed 47 lakes and ponds across the city where idols can be immersed en route. These are spread across areas including Shamshabad, Rajendranagar, Charminar, Golconda, Khairatabad and Secunderabad zones. Saroornagar lake, Jiyaguda pond, Sanjeevaiah Park baby pond, and Jawahar Nagar baby pond are some facilities around NTR Marg and People’s Plaza.
Thirteen parking locations have also been earmarked for visitors coming to watch the procession and immersion. These include NTR Stadium, Lower Tank Bund Road near Katta Maisamma temple, Martyrs Memorial parking, Vishveshwaraiah Bhavan, Institute of Engineers, MMTS Khairatabad, Public Gardens, Qilwath Ground and QQ Stadium.
Heavy commercial vehicles and trailers on inter-district and national permits will not be allowed into the city and have been directed towards Outer Ring Road. Lorries and construction equipment vehicles will also be barred from entering Hyderabad from 6 a.m. on Friday until 11 p.m. on Saturday.
Inter-State and district buses heading to MGBS will have to take designated alternative routes. Restrictions on these services will remain between 6 a.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday. Private buses have already been directed to operate from locations outside the city and stay off roads until noon on Saturday.
Those travelling to or from the airport have been advised to avoid NTR Marg, PVNR Marg, Tank Bund and the main procession route and instead use the PVNR Expressway or Outer Ring Road.
In Future City Police Commissionerate, 1,974 idols are scheduled for immersion on Friday alone, the highest number during the four-day schedule from September 22 to 25. Twelve major tanks, ponds and check dams have been identified across the commissionerate, with 607 idols scheduled to reach these locations on Friday.
Cyberabad Police, too, have stepped up preparations. Commissioner M. Ramesh inspected Nettampur Lake in Narsingi, Kokapet Lake, Rayasamudram Lake, Saki Lake in Ameenpur and Gangaram Lake in Chandanagar on Thursday.
Hyderabad Police have asked people to plan journeys before setting out. Traffic assistance will be available on 040-27852482, 8712660600 and 9010203626.
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