Till Feb 1: Party late into the night

CM extends Nov 1 deadline to end weddings by 10pm, serve one dish


Our Correspondent October 29, 2016
PHOTO SOURCE: SASH AND SATIN

KARACHI: After facing stiff opposition from the main stakeholders, the Sindh government has increased the deadline for owners of marriage halls to implement the decision of serving one dish and ending events by 10pm. The new date by which this decision must be implemented is February 1, 2017.

On October 14, Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah decided that come November 1, weddings across the province must wrap up at 10pm and serve only one dish.

Shah had stated that weddings at halls, clubs and hotels start very late and continue late into the night and there is no limit on the number of dishes served. “My contention is very simple; start your event on time and complete it well in time,” he had explained.

“This is an austerity programme and I am going to start with myself. I won’t attend events where more than one dish is being served,” he had vowed. However, the management of wedding halls had objected to the move, saying they agree with the principle but should have been consulted before the decision was made.

Late realisation

The CM announced the extension after holding a meeting with industries minister Manzoor Wassan, who was tasked to develop consensus on the issue, at CM House on Saturday. Briefing the CM, Wassan said that he has started the consultative process with office bearers of marriage hall associations to implement the decision to wrap up all events by 10pm.

During the consultation, it emerged that bookings for marriage functions and menus are decided at least three to four months before the event. “Therefore it would be unreasonable to press the marriage hall managements to dishonour their prior commitments,” he said, requesting the chief minister to extend the implementation by three months.

Accepting this request, the chief minister said the decision is now to be implemented from February 1. He added that the decision was taken in the larger interest of the people. “I have asked Wassan to develop a consensus among the marriage hall associations so that government decisions can be implemented with their support,” he said, claiming the decision to enforce a one dish policy had been widely applauded.

He directed Wassan to continue his consultation with the all stakeholders.

Another decision taken by the CM was to close all markets, shopping malls and shops by 7pm. The implementation of this plan comes into effect from November 1, at least for now.

The traders’ community had reacted angrily to the move but some later proposed the markets’ closing time from 7pm to 9pm, based on an unwavering assurance by the government for the provision of uninterrupted supply of electricity during working hours. A few days after the announcement, the Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industries had said it is impossible to shut down shops and markets by 7pm. But the body, as well as the Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had welcomed the announcement to close wedding halls by 10pm and serve only one dish.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30th, 2016.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ