Jamshedpur: Amid frequent reports of violation of safety protocols at weddings, the district administration has now banned marriage processions till further orders and capped the number of guests at 200.
As per the new order issued by additional district magistrate (law and order) Nand Kishore Lal, all kinds of wedding processions, which are usually accompanied by band parties, have been banned. Sources said that the incident commanders of the three urban municipal bodies — Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee, Mango Notified Area Committee and Jugsalai Municipality — have been asked to ensure that no processions are taken out in the ongoing wedding season.
This comes as the administration is often receiving reports of violation of safety norms, including some hotels and banquet halls not adhering to the restriction on the number of guests. A videographer preferring anonymity said, “All the weddings that I have attended in the past 10 days in Jamshedpur and in Adityapur, over 400 guests were present in most of them.”
Meanwhile, the ADM’s order reinstated the guidelines laid down by the Centre pertaining to hosting and attending marriages. As per the MHA guidelines, the wedding planners/organisers need to sanitise the venue before and after the function and install sanitisers and thermal scanners at the entry and exit gates. Also, the chairs need to be placed 6ft apart and the guests must maintain social distance, besides wearing masks.
Lal, who is also the district nodal officer for Covid-19 surveillance, said if the organisers do not follow the rules then action will be initiated against them under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.