Marriage halls owners decry demolition drive
Marriage Hall Association has threatened to protest after Eid against the demolition of marriage halls in Karachi. According to the Marriage Halls Association President Rana Raees, if the demolition of marriage halls is not stopped, they will protest by boycotting marriage ceremonies after Eid.
Raees said in a statement that the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and the district administration were also demolishing legally constructed marriage halls in the city.
Many members of the association have complained that they showed all the legal documents to the authorities, even then they ran excavators and bulldozers over their bread and butter. There is anger and anxiety among the marriage halls owners over the demolition spree of the of SBCA.
The business community has also decided to protest against the SBCA against the demolition of the marriage halls in Karachi. If the higher authorities do not take action, the scope of the protest will be widened. Consultation is ongoing regarding stopping the ceremonies in all marriage halls. Marriage hall owners are being harassed unnecessarily.
He said that if their demands will not be accepted, the marriage halls will be closed after Eid. In the first phase, they will boycott the wedding ceremonies in Karachi. After that, wedding halls will be closed across Sindh. He further said that a team suddenly arrives to demolish the wedding hall in the dark of night. At night the labor is resting in the marriage hall. The marriage hall is demolished without notice and without legal permission. Due to the operation in the darkness of the night, there is a fear of loss of life of the laborer. If any laborer's life is harmed, the management will be responsible. He demanded Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to take notice of the situation.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 26th, 2023.