With Ganesh Chaturthi coming up, Anurag Sharma, the Hyderabad police commissioner, has issued guidelines for the festival’ smooth conduct. Mr Sharma said persons planning to install Ganesh idols in public places and take part in the immersion procession must apply at the local police station using forms that will be available between Septem-ber 1 and 5. The application forms must be submitted at the local police station by September 8. The forms must indicate the place and the date of the proposed installation, as also the date, time, route and the destination of the proposed immersion procession.
A ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the owner of the premises or land, whether it is a private or government land, must also be obtained. Also, the organisers need to apply for electricity supply to the APCPDCL, and obtain permission. This document needs to be enclosed with the main application form. The use of loudspeakers will be restricted to box-type and permission will have to be taken both by the organisers who hire the equipment and the dealers/company supplying the equipment. The noise levels should be kept within the permissible limits. The Supreme Court has directed that loud speaker or public address systems must not be used between 10 pm and 6 am. Meanwhile, the police has also prohibited forcible collection of “chandas” or donations for Ganesh Chaturthi.