Despite chill, no let-up on Holi revelry in Punjab, Haryana

Despite renewed chill in the weather due to rain in the past week and snowfall in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, there was no let-up in the Holi festive spirit on Monday in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Tight security arrangements were in place in the tri-city area of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali to keep a check on Holi revelers. Nearly 3,000 police personnel, including women police, were stationed at various points to maintain law and order.

Security arrangements were also made in Punjab's Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar and other towns and some places in Haryana.

Reports of Holi celebrations came from various places in the region.

The minimum temperature was 9-11 degrees Celsius at most places while the day temperature was around 20-22 degrees.

The Sikh religious festival of "Hola Mohalla" got off to a colourful and festive start in the Sikh holy town of Anandpur Sahib, 85 km from here, on Monday with thousands of people, including foreigners, reaching there to mark the occasion.

On Chandigarh's popular "Geri Route", which is a popular drive zone among youngsters, scores of police personnel were stationed to keep youth in check.

Traffic moved slowly along the 3-4 km stretch along the inner markets of Sector 8, 9, 10 and 11 as Holi revelers reached in hundreds of cars and two-wheelers. The markets are popular for eating joints and other shops.

The Chandigarh Police was forced to put up barricades as the number of Holi revellers and vehicles increased and led to partial traffic jams.

Nearly 1,900 police personnel were deployed across Chandigarh to ensure peaceful Holi celebrations.

--IANS

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