Amdavadis to bid adieu to Lord Ganesha today

The 11-day long festival will finally come to an end as the city will bid adieu to Lord Ganesha on Wednesday. With Anant Chaturdashi falling on the same day, devotees will be heading towards water bodies to immerse their Ganesha idols. For this, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and the city police have made arrangements to ensure a safe celebration for all.

This year, the civic body has increased the number of artificial ponds making the total reach upto 21. The number has been increased to facilitate more people with the ponds. Further, this year, AMC has decided to have an extra barricading and other facilities near the artificial ponds.  

Elaborating on it, municipal commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra said, “Extra care has been taken to ensure cleanliness at the venue at regular intervals.” There will also be proper signages for devotees to guide them towards the artificial ponds, added Mohapatra.

In the last few days of the visarjan, 2,000 odd Ganesha idols have been immersed in the artificial ponds and the number will increase drastically on the last day. The civic body has also arranged for removing the idols instantly after the ponds turn full.

Fire services deployed at immersion spots
The Ahmedabad Fire & Emergency Services (AFES) will be deployed across the city at all major Ganesh immersion spots to prevent any untoward incidents during the day. Additional chief fire officer, Rajesh Bhatt, said that more than 125 fire personnel including officers would be deployed starting from 1 pm.

“They will be stationed at 22 major immersion locations, including Ambedkar, Sardar, Ellis, Subhash and Indira bridges as well as Vastral and Vinzol lakes among other locations. AFES will also deploy 25 cranes including three reserves for the festivity.

Personnel as well as ambulances, emergency and rescue tenders will also be stationed at the 21 artificial ponds created for immersion along the riverfront,” said Bhatt. The personnel will be armed with lifebuoys and life-jackets to carry out rescue operations if needed, he added.