NEW DELHI: Dilly-dallying by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi in framing a policy for commercial use of farmhouses, banquet halls and parks in the Capital for organising marriages and other functions has left the citizens high and dry. With the marriage season beginning November 12, Delhiites are left with very a limited choice for marriage venues.

In September this year the Delhi High Court had noted that all such events were being held in violation of the Master Plan and directed MCD to spell out its policy on holding marriages and other functions at farmhouses, banquet halls and parks by the end of that month. However, the civic body filed a plea seeking relaxation on the same, which was rejected by the Court and asked to come out with the policy by November 7. And as the deadline to announce the policy in the Court approaches, the civic body is still not ready with any policy.

However, in the absence of any clear-cut policy, Delhiites are in a fix as they do not know how to book venues for weddings. Their problems have compounded as owners and managers of farmhouses are offering their venues for marriages but without any receipts or agreement, leaving them perplexed.

And for parks, there are middlemen who are promising "hassle free" marriages provided that those organising functions bribe local administration and the police. Similarly, farmhouses are mainly located at the city's outskirts like Mehrauli, Badarpur, Nangloi, Bijwasan, Najafgarh, Kapashera, Bawana and Narela and here also such activities are rampant in connivance with local administration.

"Booking MCD parks for any function has always been a problem as there are agents of local administration through whom these venues are booked, this despite the so-called computerised bookings of parks and banquet halls by the MCD. Moreover, it is mandatory to give these agents the entire contract for organising marriages. So, these parks are literally in the control of these middlemen. And now with no proper policy and the court's direction on the same, people do not know what to do," rued A K Dubey, a resident of Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi.

According to a senior MCD official, the main reason behind the delay was serious differences between the Delhi Government and the civic body. "While the Delhi Government wants that marriages and other functions should be allowed only in those farmhouses, banquet halls and parks that are situated on at least 60 feet wide roads, the civic body wants this to norm is relaxed to 30 feet. Also, detailed discussions for framing the policy are yet to be held," he added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail