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Rupees 200-crores marriage-party leaves 220 quintal waste

Kashmir Times. Dated: 6/26/2019 10:28:30 AM

Dear Editor,
Media-reports indicate that high-profile weddings of brothers Suryakant and Shashank of South Africa based Gupta family with estimated spending of rupees 200 crores in Auli of Uttarakhand, left 220 quintals waste requiring 7-8 trucks daily for ten days to clear.
India should follow Afghanistan to curb mega-budgeted marriage-celebrations. Large-scale wastage of food-items in marriage-celebrations should be prevented by re-introducing Guest Control Order 1960 with only soft drinks and beverages allowed in such functions. Principle adopted by then Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dixit to boycott mega-budgeted functions should be an ideal for politicians cutting across party-lines. Marriage-tax should be imposed on marriage-celebrations exceeding say rupees five lakhs by one side as was suggested in a private-member bill introduced in Lok Sabha in February 2017.
Supreme Court directive on 12.07.2018 asking central government to consider making it compulsory for families to disclose wedding expenditure by both sides of the families of bride and groom jointly to the marriage officer concerned should be implemented. It will not only limit wasteful expenditure at times due to social bindings on marriages but also effectively check unaccounted money being spent on marriage-related functions apart from lodging false claims made by bride-side in case of marital-disputes and divorces.
It has become a trend to spend heavily on fancy boxes of wedding-invitation cards worth several thousands of rupees each which are practically of no use. Costly platters (with imported items where Indian substitutes are better and cheaper) and cash-envelopes from parents of brides should be banned through a legislative action in interest of society where this menace is causing problems especially in middle-class families. Introducing such measures will make people take birth of girl-child in family as boon rather than bane.
—Madhu Agrawal,
1775 Kucha Lattushah
Dariba, Chandni Chowk Delhi.