Coronavirus scare takes the colour off Maha Holi celebrations

Mumbai and most parts of Maharashtra had a subdued Holi on Tuesday due to the coronavirus threat amid appeals to revellers from authorities to participate in the festival of colours after taking necessary precaution against the contagion.

Officials and staff on frontline duty on the streets of the metropolis and other major cities said crowds were thinner than previous years. Most preferred to play with dry colours, called abeer and gulal in common parlance, to avoid water wastage, they said, adding that no untoward incident was reported till late afternoon. Police had set up check points on arterial roads to curb drunk driving and other traffic offences.

Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Madhukar Pandey said 1,261 people were caught for speed violation, 222 for riding triple-seat, 2,215 for riding without helmets, while 204 were nabbed for drunk driving. "Those who have been caught for drunk driving have had their licences seized. They will be produced in court on Wednesday for further action," JCP Pandey informed.

One of the highlights was residents of Worli setting ablaze a symbolic 'coronasur' Holika, a thematic take off on the virus that started in December in Wuhan in China and has since spread to almost all parts of the world, killing over 3000 and shaving off several billion dollars from the world economy. It includes two positive cases detected in Pune on Monday. On the eve of Holi, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray extended Holi greetings to people and asked them to celebrate it with eco-friendly colours.

READ: Delhi's Riot-hit Yamuna Vihar Celebrates Holi With Enthusiasm And Joy