As many as 3,284 marriage registrations took place from January 1 to September 30 this year as compared to 5,163 registrations in the same period during 2019, according to officials of the marriage registrar. Bhalchandra Pol, marriage registrar official, Pune, said, “Many weddings and marriage registrations had to be postponed due to the lockdown restrictions and inter-district and inter-state travel ban.”“The number of marriage registrations is increasing as the restrictions are easing and the numbers are likely to go up in Diwali due to the auspicious ‘muhurat’ ,” he said. The marriage registration offices in Pune region were also shut from April 1 to May 18, as a result, no marriage registrations were done during this period, said officials. The marriage registration process requires the mandatory presence of three witnesses along with the bride and groom at the registrar’s office. Mukesh Kumar Saxena who postponed his marriage due to lockdown restrictions, said, “The lockdown orders affected my marriage plans and the date had to be postponed.

Source: Hindustan Times October 19, 2020 10:28 UTC