With 450k marriages to be held in 3 weeks, traffic chaos awaits Delhiites

Sluggish traffic, road barricades for marriage processions, loud bangs of 'dhols' and DJs during commute, and parking headache awaits Delhiites as the wedding season kicked off on Tuesday.

With around 4.5 lakh weddings expected to be held over the next three weeks, Delhi Police have deployed 1,500 to 2,000 traffic personnel to smoothen the flow of vehicles.

The first phase of the wedding season, which spans 18 days, began on Tuesday and will continue till December 16, according to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). Around 50,000 weddings are scheduled for the day in the national capital, it said.

Wedding bands and banquet halls across the city are witnessing a surge in demand for bookings.

A senior police officer said that regular meetings are being held with banquet hall owners to ensure that parking arrangements are in place. "We advise venues without on-site parking to arrange for valet services. We are also focussing on curbing drunk driving and managing 'baraats' to avoid congestion on main roads," the officer said.

Patrolling bikes have been stationed across the city to help maintain traffic flow, he added.

Wedding vendors in the city are gearing up for a busy month ahead.

Jakir Khan, owner of Rajdhani Band, shared that he has already received 75 to 80 bookings for November. "From today, we're getting five to six bookings every day. A lot of customers booked us in advance, starting last month," Khan said.

Karishma, who runs the Jea Band Group, also reported a strong start to the season.

"We have already received around 80 bookings for November, with 14 just for today," she said. "The number is likely to increase in the coming days. We're also seeing a rise in destination wedding bookings," she added.

Mohammad Rihaan, owner of White and Green Wedding Planners, said that his team has secured 50 contracts for weddings this month alone.

Harindra Tomar, another wedding planner, said he has already 25 wedding bookings for this month, and expects the numbers to rise as the season progresses.

Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the CAIT and the MP from Chandni Chowk, explained that the tradition of celebrating weddings after Dev Uthani Ekadashi is rooted in ancient texts, which suggests that Lord Vishnu awakens from his four-month rest on this day.

"From this point onward, auspicious events like weddings begin," Khandelwal said.

With weddings spanning sectors such as clothing, jewellery, decorations, electronics, furniture, gifts, and catering, the wedding season will create a wealth of opportunities for service providers and generate significant employment, he added.

According to CAIT's estimates, the wedding season is set to drive economic activity of over Rs 6 lakh crore.