Holi will be low-key affair this time in city

SURAT: Public functions to celebrate Holi have been cancelled in the city after the imposition of Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits an assembly of more than four persons in an area. The Section 144 of the CrPC was imposed by the authorities concerned to prevent spread of swine flu virus in the city but this hardly seems to have had any effect on many Holi revellers. Many young students were seen playing Holi with colours on their college campuses on Thursday. 

Gulabchand Agarwal , one of the textile traders who celebrates Holi for five days, said, " We are not making a public show of our celebration this year, but will definitely play Holi with colours in our apartment blocks. I think nobody should have any objection to that." 

Surat district collector Dr Rajender Kumar said, "We have not permitted public functions as this could spread swine flu. We had not asked people not to celebrate the festival at all. We just want people to be cautious." 

Holi is a major festival of people, who have settled in Surat from the states in north India. 

Joint police commissioner CR Parmar said, "People should understand the gravity of the situation and stay away from celebrating the festival in mass gatherings. Holi should be celebrated in private, if possible, this time because of the H1N1 virus scare." 

People have made arrangements to celebrate Holi and Dhuleti in their residential complexes. They would not go out and also keep away from public functions, office-bearers of residential societies said. 

Agarwaltimes