Delhi’s urban development minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said the government has finalised a draft policy to cap the number of guests at social functions in order to reduce traffic congestion along the borders of the national Capital. He, however, clarified that the guidelines will not cover all banquet halls and wedding venues across the city.
“The final draft has been prepared and the rules will be implemented only in farmhouses, motels and Low Density Residential Areas (LDRAs) located primarily in Outer Delhi. The most important aspect of the policy is that the maximum number of guests at weddings will depend on the parking space available at the venue. We are hoping this will help in reducing traffic bottlenecks that are created due to unauthorised parking at social functions as roadside parking will be banned,” said Jain.
Farmhouses, banquet halls and wedding venues in areas like Chhatarpur, along the GT Karnal Road and Tikri Border will come under these rules. The draft policy was finalised after chief minister Arvind Kejriwal took a review meeting of the same on Tuesday.
The minister also said that once notified, it will be mandatory to have a mini-sewage treatment plant at the venue in order to ensure waste water is used for non-potable means.
Jain, however, denied that the draft policy aimed at putting limitations on elaborate processions, often featuring horse drawn carriages, and said such restrictions will be “practically impossible”.
The organisers will also have to take and submit no-objection certificates from the fire department. This will be applicable for even temporary structures like tents that are built on open spaces. Besides, all such events, including those being organised in open spaces, will compulsorily need a formal power connection from the concerned distribution company. The use of diesel generator sets will be permitted only in case of a power failure.
The government has also added a clause to penalise those organisers and owners who use their private parking spaces for such social gatherings. “If a parking lot cited as per the building plan is found to be occupied by tents and other temporary structures, then a penalty of up to ₹15 lakh will be imposed for unauthorised use of the space which could also lead to cancellation of licence,” an official said.
As per the draft policy, the maximum number of guests will be calculated by dividing the gross area of the venue (in sqm) by 1.5 or multiplying the total number of car parking available [at venue] by four, whichever is less. It also states that no venue can host events for more than 120 days in a year.
Under the proposed rules, the commissioner of food safety is supposed to ensure that the caterers or owners and management bodies of the venues get in touch with relevant NGOs in order to manage surplus or leftover food by distributing the same among unprivileged people after the “completion of duration of the function”, said a senior government official.
The policy has been prepared after the Supreme Court on December 6, 2018, expressed concern over wastage of food and misutilisation of water in marriage functions. Following this, Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev had submitted that the government was framing a set of rules in this regard.