Registration of dansals organised for the upcoming Vesak festival has been made mandatory, Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena announced on Tuesday, formalising public-health oversight of the food stations and alms-giving stalls that line streets across Sri Lanka during the Buddhist holiday.
The Health DG said the decision requires prior registration with the relevant health authorities for any group, temple, society or individual operating a dansal during the festival. Officials are expected to inspect food handling, water sources and crowd-management arrangements at registered sites.
Dansals — free-food and beverage stations organised by lay Buddhist groups and offered to passers-by as a meritorious act during Vesak — draw very large numbers of visitors in Colombo and major regional centres each year. Health authorities have in past years issued advisories on food safety, but the move to mandatory registration represents a step toward formal regulatory oversight.
The announcement follows a Cabinet-approved circular on Buddhist religious councils and divisional secretariats regarding inappropriate Vesak practices issued earlier in the week, and an education ministry circular regulating school-level Vesak observances.
The Central Environmental Authority has separately renewed its warning against plastic and polythene use during Vesak, citing waste accumulation at gathering points.
Vesak Poya falls on May 30 this year. The Health DG’s directive is expected to be operationalised through district and divisional health offices in the days ahead.
