The lord bids adieu

AHMEDABAD: Hundreds of devotees headed towards various immersion sites with Lord Ganesha idols on the last day of Ganesh Utsav.
The devotees carried the idols in cars, trucks and open jeeps for the immersion at sites such as Sabarmati Riverfront amid chants of ‘Ganpati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavkarya…’ City police and Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) had deployed personnel and officers at all major sites to ensure Covid protocols.

“We are thankful to Bappa for the return of normalcy after one of the worst phases of the ongoing pandemic. We have prayed for safety and prosperity for all,” said Avnish Trivedi, a resident of South Bopal who had come with his society members at Sabarmati Riverfront for immersion. “Generally, we would have 6-10 feet idol, but this year, we had got 4-feet tall clay idol.”
Rajesh Bhatt, chief fire officer, AFES, said that there were total 43 sites across the city for immersion. “About 170 officers and personnel were deployed at these sites. The crane was installed at Sabarmati Riverfront for bigger idols. Compared to earlier years, about 60% less crowd was seen,” he said.
City police said that Raju Panchal, 31, a resident of Naroda, died during idol immersion in an artificial tank near Koteshwar on Sunday evening.