Ganesh Navratri Begins With Religious Fervor 

Hyderabad: Ganesh Chatuthi is being celebrated with religious fervor in both the Telugu states on Monday. The nine-day celebrations began with poojas at the specially decorated Ganesh pandals in the city. The festival is being celebrated throughout the country.

Governor ESL Narasimhan and his wife participated in a special pooja at the 58-foot Ganesh idol at Khairatabad named ‘Sri Shakti Peetha Shivanagendra Maha Ganapati’. Minister T. Srinivas Yadav accompanied the state’s first couple at the pooja.

People thronged the pandals in bastis and colonies to offer naivedyam to Ganesha. Devotional programs are being planned for the evening and throughout the nine-day ceremony till September 14.

City police have made elaborate security arrangements to ensure smooth conduct of the festivities. Commissioner of Police Mahendar Reddy said nearly 40,000 Ganesh Pandals had obtained permission for the celebrations and all the Ganesh Utsav Committees in the city were also briefed on the security measures during the festivities. Over 20,000 police personnel are deployed at various pandals.

With 12,000 CCTV cameras installed at various places covering the whole city, a close watch on the public movement is being kept to monitor the law and order situation from the Central Command Control Room.

After performing poojas every night for the coming nine days, people will immerse the idols in waters at various tanks and lakes with Hussainsagar being the largest for the culmination of the festivity.