As many as 154 Vinayaka idols installed by Hindu organisations were immersed in various tanks in the city on Sunday. No untoward incidents were reported.
Processions carrying the idols to immersion points started on Sunday morning and continued up to late evening.
The police and fire and rescue services personnel created security cover while volunteers of various NGOs and conservancy workers of civic body cleared garbage at immersion points. Idols made of plaster of Paris were not allowed in the tanks for immersion.
While 72 idols were immersed at Kuruchi Kulam, remaining 82 idols were immersed at Kuniamuthur Kulam, Muthannan Kulam, Singanallur Kulam, Sulur Kulam, Vellakinar Kulam, Perur Sengulam and Walayar Dam. R. Raveendran, secretary of Residents Awareness Association of Coimbatore, said that more than 20 volunteers from various NGOs worked along with corporation workers to clear garbage and non-degradable waste materials from immersion points. “The garbage were collected in bins kept at tanks and later shifted to Vellalore dump yard. Follow-up cleaning of all immersion points will be conducted on Monday and September 3,” he said.
The idols were permitted to the water after removing their base (wooden plank), plastic garlands, and other non-degradable items. Idols made of non-degradable materials will also be cleared in the coming days.
Those interested in joining cleaning drive in the tanks can contact organisers at: 90257-52211.
In Coimbatore rural, 1,350 idols were immersed.
The Nilgiris district police said that more than 1,800 personnel, including Armed Reserve police as well as volunteers were mobilised as the Hindu Munnani organised a procession from Charring Cross to the Rajiv Gandhi Circle via the Commercial Road. More than 125 statues were to be immersed.
The procession led to traffic jams in many parts of the town, including Ettines Road, as traffic had to be redirected for over an hour on Sunday. A huge police presence was maintained on the streets, with the district SP, Murali Rambha, overseeing the preparations and ensuring that law and order was maintained.
Taking advantage of the extended weekend, tourists from Kerala and Karnataka thronged Nilgiris district. Hotels and restaurants dependent on the tourism industry reported good business over the weekend, but many tourists were also hit by the traffic jams and gridlocks which occurred during the processions.
Police had also closed down sections of the town’s main roads during the period in which the processions were passing through.
Officials from the Horticultural Department said that more than 20,000 tourists had visited the Government Botanical Garden since Friday, including many foreign tourists. The planning and strict regulations on the Vinayaka Chaturthi processions imposed by the district police ensured that no untoward incidents were reported across the Nilgiris, including Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur.