Chandigarh: Night curfew puts question mark over weddings

A city-based resident faced tough time advancing the time of his son’s wedding scheduled for Wednesday at The Lalit Hotel. He wanted to wrap up everything before the hotel staff left in view of the curfew. “Dear family and friends, this is to inform that due to night curfew imposed by the authority, the function starts from 6 pm onwards,” he sent this WhatsApp message to all invitees.

Munish Kumar, manager of The Metro Hotel, claims they had a booking for every night during the wedding season. “From April 15 to 30, we had a wedding every night. Now since last evening when the news of night curfew came, we have been getting calls from people who booked the venue. They wanted to know what is to be done now,” Munish said.

As a way out, hotels are suggesting day weddings to all those who have already made booking payments. “Usually the muhurat of feras in our Hindu weddings is around 2 am or 3 am. And the wedding starts at 9 pm. After the night curfew has been imposed, now we are suggesting day feras to our customers,” Munish said.

Baljinder Singh Bittu, chairman of Federation of Sectors Welfare Associations of Chandigarh, said, “This should not have been done all of a sudden. Moreover, night curfew is of no use. Gatherings will take place, be it day or night. How can they stop it? And another thing is that people will go to Panchkula then.”

A resident whose daughter’s wedding is scheduled for April 10 said that they had postponed the wedding from last year to this year due to COVID and history is repeating itself.

“My daughter’s wedding was scheduled in April last year. Due to COVID, we postponed it. Now this time, we scheduled it for April 10. Now again there is a night curfew. We have been quite unlucky. We will have to reschedule the entire programme. All the cards have been distributed,” the father of the would-be bride said.

M P S Chawla, owner of Hotel Altius, said, “What if the one who is holding a wedding holds it in Panchkula because there are no curbs there and then comes back to Chandigarh with COVID? If a decision has to be taken, it should be taken in consultation with all three — Panchkula, Chandigarh and Mohali,” Chawla said.

PANCHKULA in demand

With night curfew in Mohali and Chandigarh, many who had booked venues for wedding in Chandigarh are moving to Panchkula for the event. Panchkula at the moment has no night curfew while Mohali and Chandigarh have. Many who had booked their venues in Chandigarh are enquiring to shift their venue to Panchkula.