`10 lakh insurance cover for Govindas this Janmashtami

DHUSS, the umbrella body of mandals, has decided to insure the life of every Govinda Last year, the HC had directed the body to improve safety measures during the Janmashtami festival after the court removed height restrictions on human pyramids

Dahi Handi Utsav Samanvay Samiti (DHUSS), the umbrella body of Janmashtami mandals has decided to insure the life of every govinda with a Rs 10 lakh policy, it announced on Thursday. Last year, the Bombay High Court (HC) had directed the body to improve safety measures during the Janmashtami festival after the court removed height restrictions on human pyramids. The court also allowed participants as young as 14 years of age in the festivities.

“We had informed the HC last year we would ensure that the safety of Govindas would not be compromised, which is why we came up with the idea to increase the insurance amount. Earlier, the insurance amount was around Rs 2 lakh,” said Bala Padelkar, president, DHUSS.

Padelkar also said they had approached a few political leaders and had the insurance premium amount reduced from Rs 100 last year to Rs 75 per person.

Despite the HC’s safety guidelines for the festival, two govindas died, while 117 others were injured in Janmashtami last year. "We had proposed a life insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh last year itself. But since the decision was just a few days before the festival, most mandals could not purchase the insurance," Padelkar added.

The Oriental Insurance Company will provide insurance service to every member of mandals. “Last year, only 389 mandals could get insurance since they had less than a week left after the HC order was passed. But this year, we are expecting at least 600 mandals to get themselves insured. There have been times when 1,100 mandals across the state would get insurance because the premium amount was as low as Rs 30 before 2016,” said Sachin Khanvilkar, assistant manager, The Oriental Insurance Company.

Khanvilkar added the amount would cover the time from their rehearsals until the morning after Dahi Handi. Besides insurance, the Samanvay Samiti will also ensure each govinda has safety gear such as a helmet, safety belt and chest guard.