Residents of a few Salt Lake blocks and the New Town authorities shifted their Holi cultural programmes online so that fewer people assembled at the venues.

Residents of several other blocks in Salt Lake had placed chairs in such a manner that people in the audience could maintain a safe distance from each other. “No Mask No Entry” signs were put up on the gates of the community halls or parks where such programmes took place.

Tapas Sengupta, the secretary of AE Block Samaj Kalyan Sangha, said they had earmarked an area for Holika Dahan on Sunday evening.

“We had placed ‘No Mask No Entry’ signs at the entry to the park. We also asked residents to ensure that they wear masks and refrain from playing with colours in big groups,” said Sengupta.

In EE Block, chairs were spaced out in the community centre to ensure physical distancing.

Holika Dahan at AE Block in Salt Lake on Sunday evening. Sourced by the correspondent

Partha Chakraborty, a resident of the block, said they had cut down on the number of chairs to ensure some sort of physical distancing. “We placed the chairs well apart so people were at a safe distance from one another. This was mandatory as most residents of our block are elderly.”

The Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) streamed it's Basanta Utsav programme online so that fewer people gathered at Rabindra Tirtha, near the Kolkata Gate, where the cultural programme had been arranged.

Hidco chairman and managing director Debashis Sen said they had tweaked their programmes according to the guidelines sent by the health department, which prohibited big gatherings during Holi.

“We shifted the time and also streamed the cultural programme held at Rabindra Tirtha live as we were not for allowing many people inside the auditorium," said Sen.

According to him, the authorities had also discouraged residents from playing with colours, including dry abir, after the cultural programme.