Hyderabad:
The centralised Ganesh idol immersion procession began in the city with religious fervor amid devotional chantings.
According to city police the procession which began this morning should be completed before midnight to ensure that it would not cross ways with the proposed 'Telangana March' scheduled to take place on September 30 at Necklace Road.
A huge idol installed at Balapur in southern part of the State capital traditionally heads the centralized procession, that would culminate near the Hussain Sagar lake.
It was estimated that more than 12,000 idols of all heights will be immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake and other lakes around the city, Hyderabad City Police Commissioner Anurag Sharma said.
Police have made elaborate arrangements keeping in view of the 'Telangana March' and Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity from Monday.
Three major events including the march and biodiversity meet being lined up one after the other have escalated anxiety levels among security planners and police agencies.
According to city police over 15,000 policemen have been deployed for peaceful conduct of the immersion procession.
"Elaborate security arrangements are being put in place with over 15,000 police officers and personnel so that the Ganesh immersion procession passes off peacefully, and untoward incidents have been reported so far," Anurag Sharma told PTI.
A strict watch on troublemakers will be kept through a more number of CCTV cameras, the Hyderabad police chief said.