Politicians eye voter outreach with Ganesh Utsav

Hyderabad: With the elections to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) expected to be held in the next few months, police have found a surge in active participation of politicians in the setting up of Ganesh pandals. Officials said the trend cuts across major political parties. As a result, police are expecting a greater number of applications seeking permission to set up pandals. Last year, permission was given to set up 29,000 pandals in Hyderabad. A new feature of this year's Ganesh festival is the grandeur with which 'Ganesh Aagman' is being celebrated in the city. 'At several places, 'aagman', which is otherwise known to be celebrated on a large scale in states like Maharashtra , is being organised in Hyderabad. It is being celebrated on a par with immersion day, with massive crowds gathering. When the trend was analysed, we found that one of the key drivers is the upcoming GHMC election, with political leaders seeking to connect with the voters,'' a source working in tri-commissionerate told TOI on the condition of anonymity. Legislators from various parties have attended the 'aagman' events over the past few days, and at many places, political leaders reportedly extended financial assistance for organising the installation of Ganesh idols at new locations. On Saturday, around 10,000 people gathered for an event in Ram Nagar, where two MLAs also participated. Flexis featuring various politicians were also put up at the venue. However, Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi general secretary Dr Ravinuthala Shashidhar said the practice of 'aagman' is not entirely new to Hyderabad. 'It is only this year that the celebrations have become more elaborate and caught everyone's attention. Earlier, only a negligible number of pandal organisers used to conduct Aagman events, but the practice is now picking up,' he told TOI. He said around 1.4 lakh idols were installed within the ORR limits last year and claimed that the expected increase in the number of pandals this year had nothing to do with the GHMC elections or any push from politicians. 'The rise is mainly due to population growth, the emergence of new colonies and the formation of new associations. The proactive participation of youngsters is also driving the increase,' he said. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad police have updated their software to assign a unique ID to each Ganesh pandal, which can be used for future reference. Keeping in view the experience of the last few years, local police beat constables have been mandated to follow an SOP under which they have to visit the pandals and update whether the guidelines issued by the police are being followed. 'Still, we are receving applications. The exact number of idols to be installed across the city this year will be known on Tuesday, a day after Ganesh Chaturthi,'' officials said. Graphics- DGP CV Anand on Monday held a video conference with policemen from across the state to review about the security arrangements for the upcoming Ganesh chaturthi and immersion. The DGP said a dedicated online portal is created to collect and and monitor the details of pandals. Information related to the location of pandals, organisers and committee members, as well as vehicles being used for idol immersion will be collected. Instructions were given on various issues- Special focus on electrical safety, traffic management and crowd control. Immersion routes, bridges and roads to be mapped. Geo-tagging to help monitor pandals and security arrangements Pandal details to be captured digitally SHOs have been provided logins to monitor arrangements and activities relating to the pandals. CPs, DCPs and SPs should visit the pandals and enter observations and remarks in point books. Organisers should deploy volunteers and ensure CCTV cameras and queue-security arrangements at pandals. The police should collect advance information on immersion routes, roads, bridges and their load-bearing capacity. Meetings should be held with Ganesh Utsav committees and peace committees. He also directed officers to keep a close watch on social media and promptly address any issues that could affect public order. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Hyderabad | Silver Rate in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad | Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Petrol Price in Hyderabad | Diesel Price in Hyderabad | CNG Price in Hyderabad | LPG Price in Hyderabad Stay updated with the latest Hyderabad news. Download the TOI App.