In Una, no community feasts in weddings

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, April 28

Una District Magistrate Raghav Sharma has imposed strict restrictions on marriage functions.

There will be no community feasts in marriages after May 1 and the number of guests has been capped at 20. No permissions will be given for playing DJs.

The DM has also stated that permissions already given for organising marriages after May 1 may be considered as cancelled and the organisers have to take permission again. Earlier, the authorities had given approval for marriages with 50 persons.

However, the number limit had been found violated and officials were feeling that the parties were contributing to the spread of infections in the district.

The order also states that the guests coming from Punjab, Haryana or Delhi will have to bring with them RT-PCR negative reports. The residents, who are going out of the state to attend marriages, will stay in mandatory quarantine for seven days after returning and will have to undergo a Covid test.

If the people are found violating rules, the marriage will not be registered by magistrates. The marriage registrations will be carried out only after Covid order compliance certificate was given by officials, the DM has stated in his order.

Cases may be registered against organisers of marriage parties, if the rules are violated.

The District Magistrate said he had taken a tough call as the people were violating the guidelines, leading to increase in infections in the district.

He said already about 600 permissions were sought by people to organise marriages in May in the district.

Though the administration has taken strict decision, such a decision has not been taken by the Kangra administration. In Kangra, about 5,000 marriages and functions are expected in May and permissions for more than 3,000 marriages are already given.