Bhubaneswar: The move by civic authorities to seal City’s kalyan mandaps amidst the wedding season has come under severe criticism from the denizens who are left with almost no alternatives to conduct the wedding ceremonies that were planned months ago.
Following the completion of the set deadline, the authorities of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) along with Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) started the process of sealing the marriage halls in the City from February 3. Till Wednesday, the authorities have sealed 10 kalyan mandaps that have failed to comply with the orders.
“Observing the long waiting list, we had booked a convention hall for our marriage six months ago. Now, the BMC has decided to seal the venue. Where would we carry out the function now? Apart from the financial loss, the BMC should compensate us with an alternative wedding venue as it is difficult to find one in such short notice,” complained Manoranjan Behera, a resident at Nayapalli.
The BMC, in December last year, had issued notices to about 95 kalyan mandaps/marriage halls following directions from the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department. While almost each of them fell short of providing adequate parking facilities, others failed to have building plan approval, holding tax, trade licence, parking facility and others.
Moreover, as per sources, more than 900 bookings were registered with these mandaps during February alone. Although the BMC has made it clear that it would fall under no obligation to compensate for the losses, it has come under flak for failing to provide enough public-owned community halls. As per the sources, more than 100 kalyan mandaps are functioning in the Capital city of which only seven are run by BMC.
“Owners of these kalyan mandaps have exploited the loopholes in the system to its fullest and thrived operating marriage functions without mandatory approvals. For this, the common man is paying the ultimate price. Why didn’t the BMC look into the matter during off-wedding season is matter of scrutiny,” said Debjeet Routray, a former urban planner.
Although the BMC had advised people to book marriage halls only after ensuring the mandaps complying with norms, people have questioned their approvals in the first place. Admittedly, BDA officials have said that unauthorised mandaps thrived in the City due to lack of enforcement.
Responding to this, a senior official at the BMC said that the crackdown was initiated only after a survey was conducted. “Action is being taken against mandaps functioning without compliance to the provisions of ODA Act. Violators will face criminal charges. Out of 80 mandaps having irregularities, only those not complying with any of the regulations are being sealed in the first phase. If the mandaps provide us with necessary documents they may be allowed to re-operate,” he added.