New policy: Distance curbs for marriage palaces gone

New policy: Distance curbs for marriage palaces gone

Chandigarh : In a new policy, the Punjab Government has done away with the restrictions on the minimum distance of marriage palaces from educational institutions and hospitals.
As a petition on the functioning of marriage palaces came up for resumed hearing, the state counsel 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.
The policy, he submitted, 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.
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. However, the remaining area of these palaces shall be chargeable as per the provisions of the policy.”
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 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. 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.

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