Mumbai: Mandals confused over Dahi Handi court order, will meet to address issues

After a meeting with mandals in Thane, various Dahi Handi members will be meeting in the city on August 31 or September 1. The meeting will be to decide how the festival is to be played and issues that are cropping up.

"Today we had a meeting with mandals in Thane. Out there there is lot of confusion. While some police stations have been saying one thing, others have been saying somehting else," said Bala Padelkar, president of the Dahi Handi Utsav Samanvay Samiti, the representative body of all Dahi Handhi mandals in city.

He alleged that police stations in Thane had conflicting interpretations of the court order when it comes to the way the sport - as now tagged by the government is to be played. "Some said that below 12 years not allowed, some others wrote that below 14 years they are not allowed while some said that below 18 they are not allowed. Some even said that layers should not cross five. Our advocate on the other hand is saying something else. He said that only bar is below children of 12 years and that safety measures need to be taken," added Padelkar.

"As of now there hasn't been any such communication. Earlier there was a problem from some police stations but we are allowed to practice. There is no word from the government which is a problem. They should be saying something. We will be meeting either or Monday or Tuesday to decide on our strategy," said Padelkar.