Kullu residents resent curbs on Holi celebrations

Our Correspondent

Kullu, March 27

Many residents of Kullu have resented the restrictions imposed on public celebration of Holi even though there has been no surge in Covid-19 cases in the district recently. The active Covid cases have remained around 20 or even less for the past few months. Pictures of political gatherings in the states where elections are due have gone viral on social media and most probably Covid spreads during religious and social events.

The residents said that the government should impose restrictions in areas that had witnessed a spike in Covid cases and spare other areas. They added that regular classes in schools had started and there was no need for curbs as the number of active cases had not increased recently.

Tourism stakeholders in the district said that imposing undue curbs would have an adverse impact upon the industry. They added that lakhs of tourists had visited the valley since December and no spike in Covid cases had been recorded in the hospitality units or the premises of other tourism service providers.

Kullu MLA Sunder Singh Thakur alleged that the government was working under the pressure of the bureaucracy. He claimed that the government was taking decisions based on convenience while gatherings were being mobilised for the municipal corporation elections and inauguration ceremonies, while restrictions on religious and social gatherings had been imposed.

He said people had been “unnecessarily restricted indoors” during Holi in Kullu even though the area had not witnessed a spike in Covid cases. He added that the imposition of curbs in Kullu at this time would be a setback and hamper tourism, adversely impacting the economy of the region and the state.

Meanwhile, people celebrated ‘Chhoti Holi’ in their localities today though traditional processions were not taken out. The festival is celebrated for two days. Many rituals and customs are linked to this event. The Mahants, a community who came here along with the idols of Lord Rama and Sita from Ayodhya in the mid-17th century, play Holi with the chief deity of Kullu, Lord Raghunath, during the “holashtak”. They take out processions at various places and sing Holi songs.