Top court calls for regularisation of wedding halls: report

0
282

ISLAMABAD: Following orders from the top court to regularise wedding halls and marquees in the federal capital, the board of the civic authority is expected to summon early next week to deliberate on new parameters devised for this purpose, reported leading English daily.

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) drafted a new set of rules to regulate wedding halls and marquees before the Supreme Court on Thursday. At this, the SC directed the authority to seek the approval of its board within a week.

The trend of establishing wedding halls and marquees has become popular over the past decade and lack of oversight by the authority coupled with its failure to devise appropriate rules to regulate them, allowed the illegal activity to flourish.

However, CDA swung into action last month when the Supreme Court directed it to submit a report on all marquees and wedding halls operating in the city.

The subsequent survey unearthed that as many as 67 illegal wedding halls and marquees were operating in different parts of the capital, with the majority not having any parking space for visitors creating havoc on the roads and surrounding areas.

As per the new rules for regularising wedding halls and marquees, drafted by the CDA’s planning wing, halls seeking CDA endorsement must be spread over at least four kanals of land.

Moreover, halls will be allowed to have in three combinations. These include lower ground, ground plus one storey and ground plus two storeys. Basements at these establishments will be restricted to parking areas only. Moreover, there must be at least one parking space for every 250 square feet of covered area.

The draft regulations further stipulate that a minimum of eight kanals of land will be required to set up marquees.