Vesak dansal numbers sink to historic low

The number of dansal during this year’s Vesak Poya Day has hit a historic low, with just 94 applying for registration throughout the country as of last Friday (May 17), the Public Health Inspectors’ (PHI) Union said. Nearly 6,000 dansals were registered last year, the union secretary, Mahendra Balasooriya, told the Sunday Times.

There were some 150 dansal in the Colombo district alone last year. Only six dansals had been registered this year, he said.

Mr Balasooriya also said most of the dansal that registered were small scale, handing out soft drinks, ice cream, chickpeas and belimal drinks. “There aren’t many large scale dansals [providong meals] that are held over several days. This is due to security concerns.”

He however, said the union expects some last minute applications to register during the weekend. “We think some may apply to register after observing that other dansals are taking place. We have some 1,500 PHIs on standby to attend to these matters,” he added.

Organisers have been advised to liaise with police in their areas regarding security before registering, Mr Balasooriya further said.

Police Spokesman Superintendent of Police (SP) Ruwan Gunasekara though, said only those holding large scale dansals need approval.

“If they are installing speakers for the dansal for example, they need to obtain a permit from the police. We also need to assess if the location of the dansal will result in traffic [congestion] in the area. Additional police will also be deployed for security depending on the situation,” he said, emphasizing that the police have no intention of discouraging people from hosting dansal.