No More Big Fat Indian Weddings for Delhites! New Social Function Policies

Delhi, the capital as well as the heart of India is known for hosting a myriad of buzz-worthy and big fat weddings every year.

Families splurge money like maniacs and go out of their way to make the wedding ceremony stand apart from the rest, and flabbergast guests. However, every coin has two sides. On one hand, we get to see the glitter and magnificence of the wedding, on the other hand, a gargantuan amount of resources like food get wasted which could be utilized to feed up less privileged beings.

If you remember, the fabled Gupta family hosted a larger than the life 200 Cr wedding in the lap of Auli(Uttrakhand) that caused the pile-up of humongous 4000kg waste. Right after the wedding, the situation became quite pathetic in that region.

In order to curb down the sheer wastage of resources that happen in weddings, the Delhi Government has devised a new set of policies named 'Social function Policies' for holding weddings and other social events at hotels, marriage gardens in residential areas. The new policy also encapsulates the monitoring of food wastage, waste management, and the people safety during the event.

From 23 August, all the hotels, marriage gardens, and farmhouses in Delhi will have to adhere to these new social function policies. Let's have a glance at the new rules for organizing weddings and other social functions.

Say >> No to Food Waste

• The new policy states that there will be a restriction on the number of guests invited to the wedding or other social events. And, the number of guests to be invited would depend on the venue size and the parking space.
• The maximum number of guests in a social event will be calculated by dividing the gross floor area of the venue by the individual load factor(1.5 sq m).
• None of the authorized venue can host social events for more than 120 days in a year.
• No parking would be allowed outside the venue (on the roadside). If the venue encompassing parking space found out to be occupied by temporary structures, a penalty of 15Lakh will be imposed on the venue authority for using the unauthorized space which may also lead to registration cancellation.
• The new policy also states that the caterer, owner, or the organizer of the function should to meet standards of Food Safety and Standard Authority of India which also include the license to set up the kitchen at the venue.
• The management body or the owner of the venue has to ensure that venues should be registered with credible NGOs to avoid the wastage of surplus food and other resources that could be distributed among the less privileged ones. The commissioner of the FSSAI can run audit anytime to ensure rules and regulations are followed properly.
• It will be mandatory for the venue to have a mini-sewage treatment plant to make sure that the wasted water is used for non-potable chores only. A hefty fine will be imposed on the management body or the venue owner if the untreated water is discharged into the sewer.
• It will be mandatory for the venue too has a commercial electricity connection from the Delhi government authorized electricity distribution company. A venue management body or the organizer can utilize the Diesel Generator only in the case of power failure. The diesel generator must be the air pollution and noise pollution norms created by CPCB.
• Venues management bodies have to maintain the standard sanitary condition around the venue before, during, and after events are over. The collated solid waste after the event must be disposed of according to solid waste management rules 2016.

Surely, the efforts made by the Delhi government are laudable, and this initiative can make a massive impact if incorporated in the right manner.