Amdavadis ready to bid adieu to Ganapati Bappa

The 10-day Ganeshotsav comes to an end as hundreds of ‘Sarvajanik’ Ganeshas installed all over the city, along with hundreds of other smaller ones, will be immersed in Kankaria lake and in the Sabarmati river on Saturday.

Elaborate police bandobast has been put into place to ensure that law and order is maintained. ‘The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has already stationed fire brigade personnel with cranes and nets at Kankaria lake and other points on the banks of river Sabarmati. Besides, flood lights have aiso been put at the lake and and various paints on the Sabarmati river as the immersion process will begin in the afternoon and is likely to continue well past midnight on Saturday.

More than 700 ‘Sarvajanik’ Ganeshas have been in-stalled by various mandals for public viewing. An equal number of smaller ones have been installed at homes and societies. These will be taken out in procession, before they are immersed. Like every year, the ganesha immersions will be a colourful event as ’gulal’ is freely used by the devotees who dance and sing while taking the idol for immersion.

The procession stops at regular intervals where people entertain themselves and onlookers by dancing on popular film tunes. Elaborate police bandobast has been arranged for, as the city has remained communally disturbed during the past week. A number Of policemen will be stationed along procession routes and also at immersion spots, the city police control room said. Most fire brigade officials will also remain present at Kankaria lake as there have been cases in the past of people drowning while attempting to immerse the idols.

AMC gears up for Visarjan

While most of the ‘Sarvajanik’ Ganeshas will be immersed in Kankatia lake on Saturday the AMCl has made elaborate arrangements at six other places. Align the Sabarmati route where Ganeshas can be immersed. So, devotees which can be avoided will clog many main roads and arteries. Abad Dairy road will be totally closed from noon to well after midnight.

The approach to Kankaria lake from Anupam Bridge and Vanijya Bhavan will also be closed during this time. The min approach road from Maninagar station to Kankaria will be. also be closed. However, the other road from Kankaria via Apsara Cinema to Maninagar station will remain open. Firemen, nets, crenes and search lights have been placed between Boat House and Balvatika along the Kankaria lake, where idols can be immersed, There will be traffic congestion here. Similarly, flood lights, cranes and swimmers have been stationed at the base of Swami Vivekananda bridge, with the approach being from Victoria garden, where Ganeshas can be immersed.

So it is better to avoid the Swami Vivekananda bridge (Ellisbridge) while travelling towards Town Hall. The Ashram Road at many places with approach roads to Sabarmati river will also be clogged. Other places along the Sabarmati river where arrangements far immersion have been made are Hariharanand Ashram, beside Dashama Mandir near the Sabarmati Power House, beside Bhadreshwar Mandir, at Naran Ghat near Subhash Bridge and beside Bhimnath near Gayatri Mandir. "All these areas have been cleaned and lire brigade personnel have been posted there for immersions," Mayor Himmatsinh Patel said on Friday.

Republished from The Asian Age