Nagpur: The 22-ft-tall Hilltop Ka Raja, touted as the city’s tallest Ganesh idol, remained stuck beneath the Metro route on Central Avenue for hours on Monday night while being transported from Mahal to Hilltop, forcing organisers to postpone its sthapna by a day.The idol was moved after Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) fire and emergency services department deployed a 32-metre turntable ladder to help negotiate the height constraint. “The idol’s turban had to be removed to allow it to pass through the obstructed stretch and continue towards its destination,” said a fire official involved in the operationOrganisers said they encountered several hurdles after entering Central Avenue, where the elevated Metro corridor and other structures left inadequate clearance. When the idol became stuck, raising concerns about possible damage, city police sought assistance from the NMC fire department.Former MLC and Hilltop Ka Raja organiser Prakash Gajbhiye said choosing Central Avenue was a mistake. “The Metro route created hurdles for the 22-ft idol, and we remained stuck at several locations for hours. We missed Monday’s sthapna,” he said.The episode highlighted the difficulty of transporting towering religious idols through city roads where elevated infrastructure and bridge clearances may constrain movement.The incident has also raised questions over coordination among traffic police, civic authorities and Ganpati organisers while finalising routes for large idols.With several major installations taking place across the city, organisers and authorities need advance route surveys, height-clearance checks and coordinated planning before permitting such idols to travel through Metro corridors and other infrastructure-constrained roads.
