Hyderabad, Sep 19 (IANS): The immersion of Ganesha idols in Hussain Sagar lake here continued for the second day Thursday.

Thousands of devotees thronged the lake, which divides the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, to bid adieu to the elephant-headed Hindu diety.

Police said heavy rains Wednesday night delayed the immersion. Huge idols were immersed from various points around the lake since Thursday morning.

They included the tallest idol - a 59-feet one from Khairatabad, brought to the lake with the help of a huge crane.

The procession of the tallest idol had started at 2.30 a.m. and it took nearly 10 hours for it to reach the lake.

Traffic restrictions - for the second day Thursday - on roads around the lake led to long traffic snarls in the adjoining areas.

The immersion procession passed off peacefully amid tight security arrangements. More than 20,000 policemen and personnel from paramilitary forces were deployed to maintain law and order.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) had deployed 59 stationary and 71 mobile cranes at the lake for immersion.

More than 60,000 idols were immersed in Hussain Sagar and 23 other lakes in and around the city since Wednesday. Majority of the idols were immersed in Hussain Sagar.

Police said the delay in starting the main procession from Balapur and the heavy rains led to the immersion spilling over to the second day.

GHMC staff swung into action to clear Hussain Sagar lake of the debris. The high court had last week directed GHMC to clean the lake within 24 hours after the ceremonial immersion of Lord Ganesha's idols.

The court had passed the orders on a petition by Venumadhav, an advocate who complained the lake would get polluted due to immersion of idols.