PUNE: In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, federations of housing societies have issued notices telling residents to exercise caution while playing Holi this year.
Federations across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have advised members to be careful while playing Holi.
Suhas Patwardhan, chairperson of the Pune district cooperative housing federation, said, “In Pune, thankfully there aren’t any cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). So, we are telling everyone to be cautious while playing,” he said. The federation has over 18,000 registered cooperative societies.
About the precautions they had issued, Patwardhan said, “We have told people to avoid physical contact. Essentially, we are not discouraging them from playing. But, we are telling them to exercise caution.”
Patwardhan said the public should be careful and avoid crowds. “Most people are aware of the precautions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation has also issued similar instructions.
Sudhir Deshmukh, a member, said there were over 100 housing societies registered.
“Rather than discouraging them, we are asking people to be careful while playing. Apart from the usual instructions of playing Holi with eco-friendly colours and not wasting water, we are also telling them that if a person is not feeling well, then s/he should not be playing at all. They should take due care,” Deshmukh said.
Some societies such as the Kondhwa-based Sai Dwarkamai Cooperative Housing Society have organized games for children on Tuesday to avoid the Holi celebrations.
Kanta Kulkarni, chairperson of the housing society, said they had taken a conscious decision to not play Holi this year.
“We have a total of 94 flats and the idea was to spread awareness about coronavirus. We explained to the children why we were not playing Holi and playing games instead to make them understand,” Kulkarni said.
She said residents needed to be alert. “We need to make the children alert too. We will burn a bonfire, but we will not play with the colours. Children love to play. So, instead of Holi celebrations, we have organized housie for them to play,” Kulkarni added.
Federations across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad have advised members to be careful while playing Holi.
Suhas Patwardhan, chairperson of the Pune district cooperative housing federation, said, “In Pune, thankfully there aren’t any cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). So, we are telling everyone to be cautious while playing,” he said. The federation has over 18,000 registered cooperative societies.
About the precautions they had issued, Patwardhan said, “We have told people to avoid physical contact. Essentially, we are not discouraging them from playing. But, we are telling them to exercise caution.”
Patwardhan said the public should be careful and avoid crowds. “Most people are aware of the precautions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation has also issued similar instructions.
Sudhir Deshmukh, a member, said there were over 100 housing societies registered.
“Rather than discouraging them, we are asking people to be careful while playing. Apart from the usual instructions of playing Holi with eco-friendly colours and not wasting water, we are also telling them that if a person is not feeling well, then s/he should not be playing at all. They should take due care,” Deshmukh said.
Some societies such as the Kondhwa-based Sai Dwarkamai Cooperative Housing Society have organized games for children on Tuesday to avoid the Holi celebrations.
Kanta Kulkarni, chairperson of the housing society, said they had taken a conscious decision to not play Holi this year.
“We have a total of 94 flats and the idea was to spread awareness about coronavirus. We explained to the children why we were not playing Holi and playing games instead to make them understand,” Kulkarni said.
She said residents needed to be alert. “We need to make the children alert too. We will burn a bonfire, but we will not play with the colours. Children love to play. So, instead of Holi celebrations, we have organized housie for them to play,” Kulkarni added.
Get the app