hafiz azhar jutt
KAMALIA

At the wedding ceremonies, one-dish law is being violated while the authorities have turned a blind eye to the law violation in Kamalia.
Wedding ceremonies are also held in the streets where excessive use of lighting, fireworks and aerial firing put the attendees’ life in jeopardy. The public does not follow the law at wedding ceremonies while influential people have blatant disregard of law. With violation of one-dish law, the marriage organisers offer 4 or 5 dishes to the wedding guests. Government orders are very clear about this one dish system but it seems that the administration does not think it important to enforce it. On the other hand, the marriage halls’ owners have collusion with the tax officials to evade tax.
Excise Department officials check marriage halls in the late evening hours, when the celebrations are over, or have not yet begun. Also marriage halls owners show a 300-people function as only 50-people function on tax papers and hence save a substantial amount of payable tax.
The government has also imposed a ban on excessive lighting due to power shortage in the country but this ban is also violated at marriage ceremonies. Some influential people light up entire streets with bulbs and decorative lighting. During the wedding festivities, fireworks, henna ceremonies at late night and music on loudspeaker are also carried out in violation of the Marriage Act. Several incidents of fire eruption have occurred due to fireworks in residential areas.
Assistant Commissioner Chaudhry Khalid Mehmood said that the violation of one-dish law is already being noted and in the future, it will be strictly enforced.
Excise Inspector M Nawaz said, “We check the marriage functions on time and also check the registers and orders. However, if the marriage hall owners have misrepresentation of facts and figures in registers and documents, stern action will be taken against them.” TMO Rana Nawaz said that the administration would take action over complaints.