WEB DESK
The wedding industry has been badly hit by the lockdown in Haryana. More than 60,000 marriages scheduled for March, April and May have been cancelled in the state due to prevailing Corona crisis. These three months signify the peak wedding season.
According to media reports the wedding industry has suffered a loss of Rs 300 crore with the cancellation of 60,000 weddings. Hundreds of bookings at marriage palaces and hotels were cancelled when the lockdown came into force on March 25. Initially, weddings scheduled for March-end and April were cancelled but now all May marriages have also been cancelled.
According to the Haryana Tent Dealers’ Welfare Association, the industry has suffered a loss of Rs300 crore due to cancellation of weddings. The government must bail it out as there is little possibility of holding big marriages anytime soon, said.
The wedding industry comprising businesses related to marriage palaces, tent houses, jewellery, catering, flowers, invitation cards, dress designing, lighting, DJs and beauty parlours is in a deep crisis as the possibility of holding big weddings seems remote in the months to come due to the Covid pandemic. Over 2,500 weddings were cancelled in Rohtak alone, Saini said, adding that a few weddings with just a handful of guests, however, have been solemnised during the lockdown.
The wedding industry, which provides livelihood to lakhs of families across the state, is among the businesses worst affected by the lockdown. The crisis has pushed several families to the brink.
“The state government should come forward to bail out the families by providing them monetary aid as there is little possibility of marriages being solemnised with much fanfare up to November this year,” said , said Haryana Tent Dealers’ Welfare Association chairman Naresh Bhardwaj.