Vijayawada: The 72-ft eco-friendly clay Sapta Mushika Vahana Ganesha idol, on display at Gymkhana Grounds in the city, has got a poor response over the first two days. It is the tallest Ganesha idol in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State and has been installed by the Doondi Ganesh Seva Samithi. The organisers expected around 15 lakh devotees this year. The Samithi had started Ganesha Chaturthi celebrations in 2015 in Andhra Pradesh by installing 63-ft eco-friendly idol at Ghantasala Venkateswara Rao Music College in the city.
In 2016, it did not celebrate the festival due to clashes between political groups of legislator Bonda Uma Maheswara Rao and industrialist Koganti Satyanarayana. With students of GVR Music College opposing politicised festival celebrations on campus, the department of cultural affairs denied permission to hold the celebration there and the venue was shifted to Gymkhana Grounds at Gandhinagar.
Despite making parking arrangements, prasadams and special offerings, it is getting a poor response from citizens. The organisers failed to complete works on the idol till the last minute and this has reflected on the quality of the idol. “This year, the arrangements were not upto mark. Organisers should have concentrated on idol than publicising the event,” said K. Narmadha.
Meanwhile residents of Gandhinagar, Pezzonipet and nearby colonies are facing difficulty with traffic diversions made by the police for the event. “The police have blocked roads on both sides of Gymkhana Grounds and buses along Satyanara-yanapuram route were diverted. We are facing difficulty in peak hours and police are not allowing us in this route even though there were very few devotees on ground,” said K. Narendra Kumar, a printing operator from Gandhinagar.
