The wedding of the son of state Minister of Culture Subash Pandey at the Sangam on Friday night has sparked off a controversy. This is the first ever wedding ceremony to be held at Sangam and is likely to heavily pollute the Ganga, which was recently accorded the status of national heritage by the Central government. Mela officer Jitendra Kumar, the local administration and several departments including Jal Sansthan and power department have given permission to construct temporary pandals and other structures on nearly 10 bighas of land on the banks of Sangam. The Mela officer is the nodal authority to grant permission for holding any event at the Sangam area. Kumar said, “There was nothing wrong in granting a permission to a wedding ceremony.”He, however, refused to comment over the violation of norms and possible damage to environment and the Ganga due to the marriage. Mela sources said the permission was given under pressure from the higher-ups. The event has also evoked the ire of religious leaders. “How can the government allow a wedding ceremony on Sangam,” said Swami Harichaitnya Brahmachari Tikar Mafi Baba. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Ashok Singhal said the wedding constitutes an insult to the revered river.The Pollution Control Board (PCB) also appeared against the ceremony. “Unless fuel emissions and other effluents are discharged in the river, we cannot take up the case. It is, however, not advisable to hold a wedding ceremony at Sangam,” said Dr Mohammad Sikander, regional officer of PCB. Fire station officer Rejendra Tripathi said: “An NOC (No-Objection certificate) from the fire department is mandatory to hold any function at a public place. But organisers of the ceremony have not obtained a NOC.” The BSP minister, however, said the bride’s family had obtained the NOC. “I did not violate any rule. I obtained permission from all departments and paid the fees for holding the marriage. It will be a historic event and people will remember it,” said bride’s uncle, Hridaya Narayan Pandey. District Magistrate Rajeev Agrawal had recently banned cremations and public functions in Sangam area. He, however, refused to comment over the issue. He said there should be a uniform policy about holding events on Sangam and the district administration would decide it very soon.A huge pandal for a cost of Rs 8 lakh was constructed at Sangam to accommodate nearly 4,000 guests. Kanu Babu, the famous decorator of Varanasi, was called to construct it.
