Thane: Traffic snarls were the order of the day as dahi handi celebrations were in full flow on Monday.Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik’s Sankriti Pratishthan saw one of the highest volume of crowds causing traffic jam due to multiple lanes being blocked for vehicle parking, resulting in only one open for traffic movement. The one at Teen Hath Naka and Jambhli Naka also saw considerable rush of revellers.Although the Bombay high court had directed that children under 14 should not be participating in the pyramids, there were many mandals that apparently violated the rules with some kids even sustaining injuries. Troupes at a few venues were not even equipped with the basic safety gear like a helmet despite the organizers making constant announcements for the govindas to be equipped with safety gears.“There were many govinda groups participating in the pyramid formation without wearing safety gears. There were children below 14 years as well who were participating,” admitted a member of one of the mandals.Those travelling back to Thane from work on Monday evening complained of traffic jams at the toll nakas. “Eastern Express Highway was jammed from toll naka towards thane. Cars are stranded,” complained Vishakha Kalikar, a motorist.Political parties and netas seemed to have made the most of the celebration trying to woo young audience much ahead of the 2019 general elections.While the chief minister made a sudden appearance at a lake city dahi handi celebration, several others, including MNS and the NCP also did not forget to leave their mark.“You break the dahi handi here and we will break the handi (nexus) of corruption in the city,” said Fadnavis addressing the audience.

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