Guptas leave wedding trash in Auli, to bear cleaning expenses
Recently, the controversial South Africa-based Gupta family held a five-day double wedding affair in the hill station of Auli, Uttarakhand. The weddings cost a whopping Rs. 200 crores, but left behind an even bigger mess—hundreds of quintals of trash. As authorities struggle to restore the pristine site, the Guptas have deposited a user charge of Rs. 54,000 to help with the clean-up. Here's more.
Over 150 quintal waste already cleaned up: Municipality
"The Gupta family had deposited Rs. 54,000 as user charge. Over 150 quintal waste has been cleaned up till now," municipality president Shailendra Panwar told ANI. "After cleaning is complete the total bill of all the expenses, including manual labor and vehicles, will be sent to them," Panwar said, adding that the Guptas agreed to bear total expenses and will also provide a vehicle.
But first, a bit about the Gupta family
The Guptas are a wealthy Indian family from Saharanpur, UP. Their business ventures are into computers, mining and media. They are infamous for dubious links to former South Africa president Jacob Zuma, accused of plundering $7 billion from the country. They Gupta brothers, including Ajay, Atul, and Rajesh, migrated to South Africa in 1993 to establish Sahara Computers. They own Sahara Estate in Johannesburg.
Team of 20 set up to clean-up venue
Now, back to the mess. Currently, a 20-member team, including Joshimath Municipal Corporation supervisor, and three vehicles are cleaning up the garbage left behind after the June 18-22 wedding. Usually, only four workers are required to clean Auli and about 20 quintals of dry-wet waste are collected, reported The Indian Express. However, since the weddings, the team has collected 40 quintals of waste daily.
Gupta brothers' sons Suryakant and Shashank were married in Auli
The wedding celebrations for Ajay Gupta's son Suryakant were held between June 18-20. Ajay's younger brother Atul Gupta's son Shashank's wedding celebrations were held between June 20-22. Suryakant married Delhi-based Diamond merchant Suresh Singhal's daughter, Kritika Singhal, while Shashank married Shivangi Jalan, daughter of Dubai-based businessman Vishal Jalan. According to TIE, barring one, all hotels and guest houses in Auli were booked for guests.
A temporary helipad was also set up near wedding venue
Additionally, a temporary helipad was set up in the village named Ravigram, a few kilometers from Auli. According to a TIE report, after Suryakant's wedding, the Guptas left for Badrinath in choppers on Friday, that "took off and landed every few minutes."
Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra performed at the wedding
The extravagant wedding affair also boasted an exclusive guest list. The wedding had performances from singers Kailash Kher, Javed Ali, Shruti Pathak, Badshah, and Astha Gill, and actors Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra. Actor Kangana Ranaut also reportedly attended the wedding. Former Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat, yoga guru Ramdev, his close aide Balkrishna, and state CM Trivendra Singh Rawat also attended the wedding.
Uttarakhand CM thanked Guptas for boosting tourism
"They could've held this wedding anywhere in the world but they chose Auli. The Gupta family has contributed to turning Auli into a tourist destination by doing the wedding here," Rawat told TIE. According to Economic Times, Rawat also thanked the Guptas.
Uttarakhand HC rapped state for allowing wedding
However, last week, Uttarakhand High Court slammed the government for allowing the extravagant wedding to take place in the first place, after a PIL was filed against it. While the plea cited that Auli is an environmentally fragile zone, Rawat rubbished the concerns. A court order dated June 18 ordered the Guptas to deposit Rs. 3 crore to Chamoli District Magistrate for restorations.
Court had banned use of plastic/thermocol bags, glasses, plates, etc.
The HC also called for the "prohibition of use of plastic, thermocol bags, glasses, plates, cups, saucers" at the wedding and directed two monitoring assistants to ensure the court's and the state pollution control board's directives are followed during celebrations.
Locals fear their cows will eat plastic now
A worker at the wedding told TIE, "There's so much plastic here, all the food and other goods that have come from Delhi or around have come wrapped in plastic sheets. The wind makes it harder to control the plastic... it keeps flying away. It's distressing." A local also expressed fear of their cattle grazing in the area eating the plastic "like city cows."
