At a time when the government is considering enacting austerity measures en masse, the wedding festivities industry continues to violate the law with impunity, which has raised eyebrows on the district administration’s performance.
Presently in Punjab, the law requires that marriage halls and marquees are to only serve one-dish, close by 10 PM, and provide parking space but the more than 1,500 halls and marquees that exist in Lahore continue to break the law on a daily basis - without facing any repercussions.
Well placed sources in the marriage hall association told The Express Tribune that the repercussions are non-existent because owners of halls and marquees operate in connivance with the district administration.
“For instance, if a client wants extra dishes, they just have to pay Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 extra per dish. The client will be told that this amount goes straight into the pockets of the district authority or local police. Similarly, if a client wants their event to go past the curfew time, they are told to cough up an additional Rs 50,000 to Rs 100,000,” a member of the association alleged.
Salma Rasheed, a resident of the city who was surveying marquees for her daughter’s wedding, concurred with the allegations.
“Every hall we have visited so far have asked for an additional amount to grant undue favours,” said Rasheed, adding that even for a basic thing like parking the hall owners had some crooked solution but she could not afford to take such a risk.
As far as parking goes, The Express Tribune witnessed during an on-ground survey that marquees and halls, instead of providing designated parking, make guests park on the roads or footpaths nearby - which ends up choking the traffic. It was also witnessed that the city’s traffic police does little to reprimand these establishments.
Another resident of the city, Arshad Ali, commenting on the marriage festivities industry seemingly being above the law, said that there was no doubt in his mind that halls and marquees were not reprimanded because they were in cahoots with the local authorities.
“I speak from experience because when my son got married, the hall management themselves offered to violate the one-dish policy if we paid extra.”
General Secretary of Lahore Marriage Hall and Marquee Association, Malik Aqeel, when quizzed about the allegations levelled against the halls and marquees in the city, said that he was not aware of such incidents.
“All halls are bound to serve one-dish and end events by 10 PM. If someone is violating the policy then the district administration should take action against them,” remarked Aqeel.
Imran Maqbool, Spokesperson for Lahore’s Deputy Commissioner, when asked about the lack of action against marquees and halls despite the blatant violation of the law, replied that their office does reprimand any establishment breaking the law.
“All Assistant Commissioners and their teams work diligently to enforce closures by 10 PM and the one-dish policy.
If someone is found violating the law, we impose a heavy fine and seal the hall or marquee,” informed Maqbool while talking to The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 13th, 2023.
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