‘Holika Dahan at new place won’t be allowed’

Varanasi: The city markets, on Sunday, remained flooded with people making purchases for the festival of colours falling on Tuesday. Markets were opened even on weekly closure day on Sunday and witnessed huge crowd till midnight
While the festive mood gripped the city with several shops selling vibrant colours, sprinklers and different kinds of masks and caps in the markets, the district administration and police remained on high alert to ensure proper security arrangements and keeping anti-social elemnest at bay.
The administration and the police made it clear that no new tradition will be allowed to start on the festival of Holi and only traditional Holikas, set up at over 1,100 places in the city, will be burnt on the eve of Holi.
ADM city VK Singh said that over 1,100 traditional Holikas are set up in the city limits. Holika Dahan at only these 1,100 places will be performed on Monday, he said adding that Holika at no new place will be allowed. Strict vigil will be maintained by the police personeel deployed at all Holikas, he added.
A series of meetings of peace committees was conducted by all the police stations while district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma and SSP Prabhakar Chawdhary also conducted a meeting with people of all communities at Town Hall ground on Saturday evening. During the meeting the officials appealed to people to maintain peace and harmony and said that that no hooliganism will be allowed in the name of celebration.
Police forces took out march in the markets and other localities. Extra alertness was evident in mixed populated areas.