New Delhi: The festival of colours was celebrated with traditional zeal and zest as people smeared ‘gulal', splashed colour baloons on each other and exchanged sweets as a mark of bonhomie.
As arterial roads wore a deserted look, public places, housing colonies and special venues witnessed a riot of colours with both young and old taking part in the revelry. Smell of ‘gulal' and joyous spirit pervaded the national capital since daybreak. Groups of young men and women took to streets to celebrate the spring festival with their neighbours and friends.
People also visited friends and relatives, gifted ‘gujia' (a traditional sweet), besides smearing gulal on each other's faces.
Several five-star hotels, clubs and restaurants in the city also lured patrons as they organised rain dance parties and with holi snacks and buffets, attracting big crowds. Children enjoyed the day most as they sprayed coloured water using water guns and hurled water-filled balloons on people from their rooftops.
Delhi Police made elaborate arrangements to ensure a safe and joyous Holi. Police personnel were deployed across the city. Police had issued warning against hooliganism in the guise of revelry.
Over 200 special checking teams of traffic police along with PCR vans and local police were deployed this time to check incidents of drink and drive, speeding and reckless driving. Special teams with alcometers and 20 interceptors were also be deployed at major intersections to detect and prosecute violators.
Police had also positioned men armed with cameras who video graphed offenders so that if they cannot be prosecuted on the spot due to rush, challans can be sent at home. City hospitals, including AIIMS, made elaborate arrangements to deal with any extra rush of people. Commuters faced inconveniences in the first half of the day as public transport facilities, including buses and Metro Rail, were shut till late afternoon.
