Now, pay Rs 25,000 for pre-wedding shoot at PAU

Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 20

In a bid to cash in on the trend of pre-wedding and wedding shoots at prime locations, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will now be charging a fee from all those who want to get photographs clicked around the museum of rural life and social history of Punjab.

For the PAU and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University employees, the fee charged will be Rs 5,000 per day while for outsiders the fee will be Rs 25,000 per day.

While the outsiders are finding the amount too big, the employees of GADVASU and PAU call this charge uncalled for.

Vice-Chancellor Baldev Singh Dhillon said they had levied the fee in view of the frequent photo shoots on the premises. “Any person or students getting pictures clicked around the museum will not be charged. We have imposed fee on video shoots around the museum,” he said.

Dr Jatinder Gulati, Dean, College of Home Science, said people were spending lakhs of rupees on pre-wedding and wedding shoots. The amount is fixed by us is not much, he says.

“The university is spending money on the maintenance of the museum and people will be contributing towards the same by paying the fee. Keeping in view the big fat Indian weddings being organised, the fee amount is not too big,” said Dr Gulati.

Satish Sood, General Secretary, PAU Retirees’ Association, said imposing fee for outsiders was okay, but it should not have been imposed for the PAU and GADVASU employees.

“We consider ourselves part of the university even after retirement, but if we are charged for video shoots for a few hours, then it is unfair. Even the fee fixed for outsiders is too high,” he said.

An employee of the PAU, who lives inside the campus, said the PAU was their workplace and home as well. “It will not be fair I am charged for using the backdrop of the museum for my personal video shoot. Employees of the PAU and GADVASU should have been exempted from the fee while charging it from outsiders is understandable because for them it is a beautiful location,” said he.