Ggm: Wedding halls to verify ages of brides, grooms to curb child marriages

Chalking out stringent penalties of up to two years imprisonment and a fine of ₹one lakh for planning such marriages, the administration has issued directives to various stakeholders, including village heads and venue operators

Gurugram: The Gurugram district administration on Tuesday directed all marriage halls and other wedding venues to verify the actual age of the bride and groom while accepting bookings, in an attempt to crack down on child marriages planned for Akshaya Tritiya or Akshaya Teej.

The Gurugram district administration on Tuesday directed all marriage halls and other wedding venues to verify the actual age of the bride and groom while accepting bookings, in an attempt to crack down on child marriage. (Representational Image)

The festival of Akshaya Tritiya falls on May 10.

Chalking out stringent penalties of up to two years imprisonment and a fine of ₹one lakh for planning such marriages, the administration has issued directives to various stakeholders, including village heads and venue operators.

Deputy commissioner (DC) Nishant Kumar Yadav said that Akshaya Tritiya was considered an auspicious day, and child marriages are executed by certain groups of society in rural areas. However, no complaints have been received so far in the district but in Nuh and Faridabad there have been multiple incidents of child marriages.

He said that child marriage prohibition officers had already been deputed by the district administration to keep vigil in their areas so that no child marriage could take place. He said that child marriage was illegal under the Prohibition of Child Marriages Act, 2006.

Yadav said they had formed teams and were holding meetings with temple priests, banquet halls, music bands, decorators, caterers, hotels, community halls, and at village level to spread awareness and share the guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Officials said through awareness campaigns, they aim to educate these stakeholders about their roles and responsibilities in preventing child marriages. “These teams will closely monitor children who have dropped out of school or have irregular attendance to prevent any potential child marriages. Additionally, lists of dropout children and absentees have been prepared by the education department and shared with the administration to investigate the causes of dropout and address them effectively,” he said.