Daily Times

The Islamabad Caterers Association has demanded that the federal and Islamabad district administration allow marquees and marriage halls to operate with due precautionary measures.

ICA Chairman Mukhtar Abbas, President Salman Ashraf and General Secretary Bakhtawar Butt in a meeting with media representatives expressed their concerns over ongoing closure of marquees and wedding halls in the wake of coronavirus outbreak and demanded that the government allow them to work with precautionary measures like other businesses. They said the Islamabad Caterers Association is a representative organization of more than 100 marriage halls and marquees of the federal capital, which employs thousands of people. They said that the association had earlier been in touch with the government on tax and CDA issues and now it is trying to play its role in present pandemic.

Association’s office bearers said the marquees and marriage halls employ a large number of permanent as well as daily wagers but the ongoing closure is forcing the owners of marquees to disengage their services as they cannot pay them from their own pocket. “We stand with the government and the people in this difficult time and have been paying salaries to our employees for the last three months despite complete lockdown, but now the losses are beyond our capacity,” ICA Chairman Mukhtar Abbas said. He demanded that the government give them conditional permission so that at least they can meet their expenses. He said at present there are at least 20,000 people working in the marquees and marriage halls of Islamabad in addition to a large number of people who provide various services, like butchers, hall decorators, photographers, etc.

General Secretary Bakhtawar Butt said if the government allows them to open marquees, the ICA will take responsibility for full implementation of government’s SOPs. “We are ready to arrange functions with scattered sitting arrangements, table serving, using of clean cutlery and disinfectant tunnels at the entrances of the halls. He further demanded that the government give their business a status of industry as they are not only providing the best services but also providing training to thousands of young boys and girls every year.