Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi Dismantles Barricades at Tank Bund
Hyderabad: The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi issued an ultimatum to the Telangana government on Sunday, demanding the removal of restrictions on the immersion of Ganesh idols at Tank Bund. In a symbolic act of defiance, Samithi leaders dismantled a barricade set up by authorities to prevent the immersion of idols, arguing that there were no court orders prohibiting idol immersions in Hussain Sagar. They also removed banners that declared a ban on immersion at Tank Bund, which had been put up in accordance with Telangana High Court directives.
Despite the Samithi’s actions, police refrained from intervening at the moment but later reinstated the barricades. Rajya Vardhan Reddy, General Secretary of the Samithi, emphasized that the government should facilitate the peaceful and orderly immersion of idols by lifting the restrictions. He warned that if the government failed to act by Sunday evening, there would be further action. According to Reddy, the Samithi has been conducting idol immersions at Tank Bund for the last 45 years with government support, and he questioned the sudden imposition of restrictions this year.
Reddy also cautioned that devotees would not tolerate the limitations and were determined to proceed with the immersion at Tank Bund. While authorities have arranged for idol immersions at Hussain Sagar from NTR Marg and Necklace Road, they have specifically restricted the practice at Tank Bund.
The police and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) have displayed banners citing a ban on immersions at Tank Bund, following orders from the Telangana High Court. Barricades have been erected to enforce this prohibition. However, the Ganesh Utsav Samithi insists that the High Court did not explicitly ban immersions into Hussain Sagar and, as such, these restrictions at Tank Bund are unwarranted. Samithi leaders also pointed out that during a recent review meeting, chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and attended by top police and government officials, no mention was made of a ban on Tank Bund immersions.
