VACCINE KEY FOR KHAIRATABAD GANESH’S HEIGHT

The Khariatabad Ganesh might not be a big one this year. The Khairatabad Ganesh Utsav Committee said on Tuesday that if a cure or vaccine for Covid-19 isn’t found by August, it would have to use a one-foot tall idol for the festival.

The committee had originally planned a ‘Karra pooja’ on May 18, which marks the beginning of the construction of the idol and other logistical arrangements. On Tuesday it cancelled it in view of lockdown.

S. Sudharshan, president of the committee, said: “We will see until August 22 (Ganesh Chathurthi) for news of a vaccine or cure. The earlier we know the better because we can start work on getting the idol built. If we don’t hear anything, we will install a onefoot tall idol at the nearby Ganesh temple.” This would be the 66th edition of the Khariatabad Ganesh, and the committee was planning to install a 66-foot tall idol this year.

R. Shashidhar, secretary of the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Committee, which looks after pandals across the city, said he was hoping for normalcy to return by August. The committee oversaw over one lakh pandals in the Greater Hyderabad area in 2019.

“We pray that the crisis is dealt with by then. We are monitoring the situation closely. We will discuss with the government how we should proceed. Whatever happens, we will follow all rules of social-distancing and so on,” he said.

“Ganesh Chathurthi festivities create many jobs and crores worth of business in the state. We only hope things will return to normal by August,” he added.