7,000 Pindi banquet halls, marquees on watch list

Owners told to ensure safety precautions, hygiene to avoid being sealed

RAWALPINDI: The marriage halls and marquees lying within district Rawalpindi are in deep trouble. The deputy commissioner has granted powers to the civil defence department to launch a crackdown against all illegal marriage halls and marquees, including those without development maps.

As per a notification issued on Monday, the civil defence has been given the powers to issue notices to, impose fines of up to Rs15,000 and to even completely seal illegal marriage halls and marquees in the city. In this regard, the civil defence has already issued formal notices to around 7,000 marriage halls and marquees in the city.



Moreover, the district administration has introduced a new set of rules according to which construction of marriage halls and marquees built on the main roads, the Grand Trunk Road GT Road and roads frequented by heavy traffic has been banned.

For existing structures along such roads, they have been directed to remove their entrance from the main road.

The new rules also state that marquees must have a minimum area of 500 square feet. Moreover, the owners and managers of marquees and halls have been directed to maintain 100 per cent cleanliness and hygiene of their properties, have properly functioning fire extinguishers and fireproof materials for furniture, windows, gates and decoration materials.

Every event venue must also have three to four, clearly marked emergency exits using signboards and red lights.

Furthermore, halls should also have proper lightning conductors to ensure safety during thunderstorms.

The district officer for civil defence Talib Hussain confirmed the developments and the district administration notification which granted him the power to crack down on violators.

He added that they will start taking action against violating halls and marquees from January 1.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2018.