THE one dish policy in marriages introduced by the Punjab government in the past was widely welcomed especially by the poor and the middle class families but the regrettable part is that it has never been implemented in true spirit regardless of Punjab Marriage Functions Act 2016 which clearly prohibits ostentatious celebrations. Probably it would be only for a few months that the people would have seen one dish policy strictly being enforced but then this law was also violated openly as has been the case with many others with both the commoners and the administration turning a complete back to it.
Taking notice of the situation, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar while chairing the cabinet meeting on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to implement one dish policy in marriages and observance of time at marriage halls. Given the past track record, we understand that such directions only fall on deaf ears. The Administration will only come into action for a few days during which we will also see raids being conducted but then the status quo will return. It is very difficult to change the attitude of a society which is so fond of pomp and show. Whenever a law is enacted, anywhere in the world, it is evaluated and revaluated every few months to gauge its efficacy. The problems identified in the process are addressed and the concerns attended. In our view, it is also time for the Punjab government to revisit the existing law in which the one dish policy which has proved to be a complete failure should be done away with. The people should be allowed to serve the guests in marriages in whatever manner they can do according to the size of their pockets. But there should be a complete ban on late night weddings along with use of fireworks and aerial firing with sophisticated weapons and those violating these provisions should be dealt with iron hands without any discrimination.
