Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro Rail has decided to run its services till 2 am on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday for the benefit of participants of the Ganesh idol immersion processions.
Hyderabad Metro Rail Ltd (HMRL) announced that the last trains in all directions will leave at 1 a.m. and reach their respective destinations at around 2 a.m.
According to HMRL officials, heavy rush is being experienced in Hyderabad Metro trains and stations in the last couple of weeks and the passenger numbers are crossing the five lakh mark every day.
Visitors to Khairatabad Ganesh further added to the Metro passenger rush and on Saturday Khairatabad Metro Station was used by about 94,000 passengers, with 39,000 entries and 55,000 exits.
In order to facilitate and manage this heavy rush in metro trains in general and at Khairatabad station in particular, HMRL Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy held a meeting with L&TMRHL MD K.V.B. Reddy and other senior officers of both organisations and decided to make special arrangements to facilitate the travel of devotees participating in the annual procession.
According to a statement by HMRL, extra trains with higher frequency will be run during peak hours as per the need till the end of Ganesh Nimajjan.
Additional Police and private security personnel have been deployed at Khairatabad and Lakdikapul Metro stations and security arrangements are monitored by DSP rank police officials of the HMRL.
Additional ticket counters will be opened at select Metro stations to meet the demand.
N.V.S. Reddy appealed to the Metro commuters visiting Khairatabad to follow self-discipline and cooperate with the Security personnel to avoid any stampede.
Meanwhile, thousands of people visited Khairatabad to have the darshan of the tallest Ganesh idol in the city.
The area in the heart of the city was teeming with huge crowds. Men, women and children were standing in long queues.
The Ganesh festival which began on September 7 will conclude with the mammoth immersion procession on Tuesday. Thousands of idols will be immersed in Hussain Sagar Lake in the city and dozens of lakes in and around Hyderabad.
–IANS