Chandigarh: The Punjab Government in its new policy for regulating the marriage palaces have actually set stage to deregulate them by doing away with the restrictions on the minimum distance of marriage palaces from educational institutions and hospitals, media reports said.
As a petition on the functioning of marriage palaces came up for resumed hearing, the state counsel reportedly told Justice Rajan Gupta’s Bench that a policy dated August 11 had been issued and fresh applications invited. Amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) Ravi Kamal Gupta pointed out that a few provisions in the policy may be repugnant to certain existing laws and policies.
In 2011, the state government had issued a notification laying down policy guidelines and building norms for regularisation of existing marriage palaces and setting up of new ones. File photo
Subsequently, during the submission of the reported policy, he made it clear that there would be no condition of minimum distance from the site of a school, college, hospital, religious place and red-category industries in the case of existing marriage palaces.
It is being apprehended that with the removal of restriction pertaining to maintaining minimum distance for constructing a marriage palace may result in anarchy and compromise public health, safety and interest in future.
Furthermore, He also quoted another provision that there would be 100 per cent exemption of change of land use and external development charges etc. on the total parking area of the marriage palaces “established without the approval of the competent authority, reads a quote from a report published in an English vernacular.
However, the remaining area of these palaces shall be chargeable as per the provisions of the policy.”
As reported by the media sources, whilst responding to the assertions, the state counsel submitted that he would seek instructions before apprising the court. “The counsel shall be at liberty to file a short affidavit,” Justice Gupta reportedly said.
The directions came on a contempt petition filed by Kulwinder Singh against IAS officer Vishwajit Khanna and other respondents on marriage palaces functioning in the state without the mandate of law. The petition has its genesis in an order passed by the High Court on January 21, 2012.
At that time it was reported by the media sources that a Division Bench had set a three-month deadline for the state to consider the cases of “shut-down” marriage palaces after the court was told that the government had framed policy guidelines for existing and new palaces.
During the hearing of the petition, the state government passed a notification dated November 16, 2011, laying down policy guidelines and building norms for the regularisation of existing palaces and setting up of new ones. An amendment to the guidelines was made on January 7, 2013.
Justice Gupta had subsequently asked the state government to affirm whether the closure orders in terms of its earlier judgment had been issued. Justice Gupta had also asked the authorities concerned to tell the court whether the policy framed for setting up of marriage palaces was being followed in letter and spirit, notes The Tribune (TT).
The News With By-Laws Curbing Distance For Marriage Palaces Gone, Stage Is Set For Future Anarchy appeared first on Sikh Siyasat News.
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