RTI query nails MCG on illegal banquet halls

Times of India‎‎‎: Gurgaon: Sunday, September 04, 2016.

Out of the 63 banquet and marriage halls in Gurgaon, 61 are illegal and do not even have basic safety measures like a fire exit, an RTI query has revealed. Moreover, 34 of these are situated in the 300-metre restricted area of the IAF ammunition depot.

Following a complaint by RTI activist Harinder Dhingra that these 61 banquet halls were constructed without the approval of their building plans, the Haryana Human Rights Commission (HHRC) has issued a notice to the MCG, seeking its reply within eight weeks.

"Information received in response to my RTI query has revealed that these banquet halls are illegal and have violated all safety norms. However, no action has been taken against them till date. So, I have filed a complaint with the HHRC as lives of people are at risk," Dhingra told TOI on Saturday.

According to Dhingra, the illegal banquet halls have been operating without any obstacle due to a nexus between some corrupt MCG officials and few local businessmen. The hall owners are also not paying any taxes to the state government.

"In 2014, the government had come out with a policy to regularise illegal marriage and banquet halls in municipal areas of the state by paying a one-time regularisation fee of Rs 3,000 per sq metre. By that yardstick, the financial loss caused to the exchequer is around Rs 75 crore, given the minimum area of a banquet hall in Gurgaon is 4,000 sq m," he said.

When contacted, a senior MCG official said that most of these illegal banquet halls are situated on Old Delhi-Gurgaon Road, Sheetla Mata Road, Sohna Road, Pataudi Road, Badshapur, Daultabad and Rajendra Park, and confirmed that they do not have the necessary licence and approval from the civic authorities.

"Notices will soon be issued to all such illegal property owners. Running banquet halls illegally could attract strict action under the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994," he added.

For running a banquet and marriage hall, a trade licence and a no-objection certificate is required from the MCG, apart from clearances from the fire department.