Police issue strict guidelines for Ganesh festival in central zone

Elaborate safety and security measures have been laid out by the Hyderabad police in view of Ganesh festival, directing organisers to follow strict guidelines to ensure peaceful and incident-free celebrations. At a coordination meeting with mandap organisers of the Central Zone on Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police K. Shilpa Valli stressed the need for round-the-clock vigilance at pandals, fire safety equipment at every venue, functional CCTV cameras and proper facilities for devotees.

She said every pandal must have volunteers present throughout the festival idol installation to immersion, with fire extinguishers and sand buckets ready, and electrical wiring properly secured with MCBs to prevent fire accidents. She also directed that pandals should not be erected in unsafe or unstable locations.

Security arrangements include the installation of CCTV cameras and measures to prevent thefts, particularly during night hours. Organisers have been instructed to secure valuables such as cash and ornaments and to ensure no pandal is left unattended. For devotees, barricades, queue lines, separate entry and exit routes and public address systems are mandatory. Special queues for women and clear signboards must also be arranged to avoid confusion.

Cultural and religious programmes are permitted only with prior approval from the Assistant Commissioner of Police. The DCP made it clear that noise pollution rules must be adhered to, and obscene performances or provocative speeches will not be tolerated.

Issuing specific electrical safety instructions, the police prohibited mandap installations under power lines or near transformers and directed that all wiring be carried out only by licensed electricians. The use of proper insulation, ELCBs and MCBs was made compulsory, while unsafe practices such as hooking cables or using poor-quality joints were strictly forbidden.

Concluding the meeting, the DCP appealed for full cooperation from organisers to ensure the festival is celebrated joyfully, peacefully and without untoward incidents. Citizens were reminded to dial 112 in case of emergencies.