Hyderabad Police urge Ganesh puja organisers to limit idol height to prevent accidents
With preparations for this year’s Vinayaka Chavithi gathering pace, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar on Wednesday urged Ganesh organisers and idol makers to ensure idols
With preparations for this year’s Vinayaka Chavithi gathering pace, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar on Wednesday urged Ganesh organisers and idol makers to ensure idols are kept below 15 feet in height to prevent fatal electrical accidents and disruptions during processions. Addressing a meeting with representatives of the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi, Mr. Sajjanar said public safety must remain the priority during the festival.
He recalled previous incidents in which two people died of electrocution in the Bandlaguda police station limits after oversized idols came into contact with overhead power lines. In another incident, an idol got stuck beneath the Panjagutta flyover because of its height. The Commissioner explained that overhead electricity lines in city streets are generally around 22 feet above ground, while the trolleys used to transport idols add roughly four feet to the overall height.
Keeping these factors in mind, he advised organisers to ensure idols are manufactured at a height of less than 15 feet. He requested the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi to spread awareness among mandap organisers about electrical safety and to coordinate with idol makers well in advance to prevent excessively tall idols from being constructed. Sajjanar also cautioned against the practice of manually lifting low-hanging power lines with sticks or plastic pipes during processions, noting that such actions had contributed to accidents in previous years.
He said the meeting had been convened during the idol manufacturing stage so that safety measures could be incorporated early, rather than shortly before the festival when the idols would already be completed.
The BriefWire