Marriage halls association on Saturday withdrew their call to close down marriage hall after Mayor Karachi opposed any move to demolish the halls and Minister for local government Saeed Ghani assured the association to halt demolition drive to begin from Monday. General Secretary All Marriage Halls Association Karachi Khwaja Tariq said that they were assured by the minister that he would not carry out the demolition drive scheduled from Monday and would resign from his post if it is carried out on court orders. "The minister said that they would separate halls that have approval for commercialization and those without approval and will again move court over the issue," he said. Tariq said that they had also asked the minister to not demolish the unapproved halls immediately and give at least 30 days them to ensure events that have booked earlier.
Earlier, All Marriage Halls Association (AMHA), Karachi on Saturday also staged a protest demonstration at university road outside the Sindh Building Control Authority headquarter. The protesters, mostly owners of wedding halls, blocked the road leading to the old vegetable market area, resulting in a massive traffic jam on one side of University Road.
The protestors said that SBCA has issued notices of three days to 50 percent marriage halls of district East and Central of the Karachi, the notices stated that marriage halls and any other establishment carried out or running their respective commercial business on amenity plots or residential plots or converted plots on the basis of either by way of any approval, NOC of any respective concerned authority including Master Plan Department (Defunct MPGO), defunct KBCA now SBCA, KDA, KMC, BOR, Co-operative Societies, Katchi Abadies Authorities etc or carried out without NOCs (including Malir River Bed, Road reservations) are informed that as per the orders of the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan in above referred case, all the plots and lands are required to be restored to its original land use for which the piece of land was designated in the original approved land use, zonal, layout plan. Therefore in the light of the orders of the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan, all approvals, NOC for change of land use / construction permits, completion plans, occupancy Certificates, NOC for Sale and Advertisement, permission to sublease or any other NOC issued by the Master Plan Department (Defunct MPGO), defunct KDA I defunct Architect Control KDA, KMC or SBCA are liable to be cancelled as withdrawn.
The protestors demanded that Sindh Building Control Authority to revert its notice on immediate basis to take action against marriage halls.
President of AMHA Rana Raees Ahmed while talking to media said that the marriage halls were functional since long decade, adding that the mostly marriage lawns/halls were established after fulfill the all legal formalities required by state departments. "The owners of marriage halls were paying million of rupees tax for national exchequer. Raees Ahmed said that if concerned authority will not take back its notice then the association has decided to go on strike and marriage halls will shut for booked programs on Sunday.
Later, Provincial Minister for Local Government Saeed Ghani called the officer bearers of All Marriage Halls Association, Karachi for negotiations at his office, where after long hours' negotiations between the minister and office bearers of AMHA the association has decided to take back its call of strike after assurance by Minister Local Government.
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