Hyderabad gears up for massive Ganesh immersion with 20,000 police personnel

Hyderabad is set for the final Ganesh idol immersion procession, with authorities deploying a large-scale security and crowd-management operation across the city.

Nearly 20,000 police personnel, more than 10,000 CCTV cameras and 24 drones will be used to monitor the procession and manage the movement of lakhs of devotees and thousands of idols arriving from Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, Future City and neighbouring districts.

The Khairatabad Ganesh idol has already drawn around 25 lakh visitors, while nearly 15 lakh devotees have visited the Balapur Ganesh idol. Security has been strengthened at both locations ahead of the final immersion.

Preparations for the event began nearly three months ago. Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar held coordination meetings with government departments, festival organisers, idol makers and peace committees to streamline arrangements.

Police said 15,426 applications were received through the online Ganesh pandal permission system, with 14,929 permissions granted following physical verification. Approved pandals have been geo-tagged, while safety instructions covering fire and electrical risks have been displayed in bilingual posters.

By Wednesday, 32,878 idols had been immersed across Hyderabad and surrounding areas, including 6,108 within Hyderabad city limits.

The city’s surveillance network has been linked to the Telangana State Police Integrated Command and Control Centre (TGICCC) in Banjara Hills. In addition to the CCTV network, nearly 100 high-rise cameras will monitor crowd density and movement along key procession routes.

Police teams equipped with binoculars and wireless communication devices have been stationed on rooftops. Round-the-clock control rooms have been established at NTR Marg, People’s Plaza, Necklace Road and Moghalpura Sports Complex, with senior officials coordinating operations.

Emergency-response arrangements include rescue boats and expert divers from the Indian Army and Tourism Department at major water bodies. Ambulances, paramedical teams, fire tenders, generators and watchtowers have also been positioned at strategic locations. Mechanics and backup drivers will be available at key junctions to address vehicle breakdowns.

The police deployment includes personnel from the Law and Order, Traffic, Task Force, Special Branch, City Security Wing and City Armed Reserve units. An additional 8,142 personnel from other districts, organised into 42 platoons, have been assigned to seven security zones.

Four companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed in Charminar, Golconda, Rajendranagar and Shamshabad, while two companies of the Central Armed Reserve Force (CRPF) are stationed in Khairatabad and Secunderabad.

Security checks are also being carried out by 53 bomb detection teams at procession routes, entry points, railway stations, bus terminals and shopping malls.

Authorities have prohibited DJ systems, sound mixers, high-decibel audio equipment and firecrackers during the procession in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines on noise pollution and public health. Police warned that violations could result in seizure of equipment and legal action.