South Delhi civic body’s 2018 policy allows farmhouses to host functions, weddings

As per the master plan, banquet halls are “permissible in industrial and commercial areas, including notified commercial streets under the Mixed Use Regulations”but the SDMC officials said a policy, allowing farmhouses to host weddings and other events, was notified last year.

While the Delhi high court Monday said farmhouses can’t operate as banquet halls, citing the provisions of the Delhi Master Plan 2021, the civic agencies on Tuesday maintained that farmhouses can host weddings and other events.

There are more than 100 farmhouses and motels across the national capital that are widely used for social functions and parties. (Representative image)

As per the master plan, banquet halls are “permissible in industrial and commercial areas, including notified commercial streets under the Mixed Use Regulations”. But the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) officials said a policy, allowing farmhouses to host weddings and other events, was notified last year.

In October 2018, the SDMC had approved the policy under which farmhouse owners were allowed to construct temporary structures to host events, including weddings. The policy was framed after the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, in September 2018, asked civic bodies to seal those farmhouses and motels where it had found “large-scale” misuse of norms and unauthorised construction.

Kamaljeet Sehrawat, leader of the House in SDMC, said, “We had passed a policy last year which permits farmhouses to hold social functions under certain conditions. Currently, farmhouses, which are registered with us, are holding events as per the guidelines of this policy.”

There are more than 100 farmhouses and motels across the national capital that are widely used for social functions and parties. Civic officials said there are 38 farmhouses in the south zone and Najafgarh zone of the SDMC and around 31 are located under the jurisdiction of North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Explaining the policy, a senior SDMC official said, “The owners have to pay an annual booking charge to the civic body at the rate of ₹4.90 per square feet per day, in case the farmhouse is located on a national highway. For farmhouses located on interstate roads, the charges will be ₹3.70 per square feet per day and owners of the farmhouses on internal roads will have to pay ₹3 per square feet per day for hosting events.”

The construction area should not cover more than 30% of the total farmhouse area, an SDMC official said.

Another official said the policy was formed in view of an average of 75 such days in a year when weddings are held at farmhouses. The owners have to deposit an annual fee for these many days, the official said.

“Besides that, farmhouse owners also have to pay upfront ₹10,000 per function for cleaning the premises. A security deposit of ₹5 lakh should also be paid by farmhouse owners, for a period of one year, which will be returned if no complaint is received against the owner/establishment,” the official said.