Get ready to face the chill as weddings set to go roofless

Delhi weddings are all set to go roofless. Keeping the Nand Nagri and Kolkata fires in mind, the Delhi government is planning to ensure all temporary structures, including shamianas, will be open at the top. Neelam Pandey reports.

Delhi weddings are all set to go roofless. Keeping the Nand Nagri and Kolkata fires in mind, the Delhi government is planning to ensure all temporary structures, including shamianas, will be open at the top.

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According to sources, the divisional commissioner has sent the Nand Nagri fire incident report to the Delhi chief secretary in which, new fire safety guidelines have been suggested. According to the guidelines, all social functions in parks, vacant land and community halls, will not be allowed to cover the tent from the top.

Many residents have termed the idea bizarre as during winters and monsoons, people will have to either bear the cold or the rain. “It is so cold these days, children and women will find it tough to stand out there in the cold. Imagine what will happen during monsoons. Fire safety is very important but this is not the way to deal with it,” said Ankur Sharma, a resident of Malviya Nagar.

However, the government has justified the move. It says it is for the safety of people. “The fire incidents should be a wake-up call. We need to have fire safety measures in place. If the tents are roofless, we may face a little inconvenience but in the longer run, it is essentially for our safety,” said a senior Delhi government official.

Among other guidelines, all land-owning agencies will have to inspect the venue and just accepting an undertaking from the organiser will not be enough. For instance, in the Nand Nagri case, the Delhi Urban Shelters Improvement Board had simply accepted an undertaking from the organiser that he had taken fire safety measures.

“All land-owning agencies will be held responsible if a fire incident takes place. After receiving an application for fire clearance, the police will have to send a copy of that to all the agencies concerned. The fire department, too, will have to carry out inspection to ensure everything is in place,” added the official.