Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Mass marriages tomorrow

HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Welfare Society will perform the mass marriage of 51 poor girls on Saturday at the Exhibition Grounds, Nampally. They include 28 Muslim girls, 16 Hindu and 7 Christian. The marriages will be performed as per the religious faith of the couples. An expenditure of Rs. 20,000 is being incurred per marriage, said Haji Ghouse Khan, president, Hyderabad Welfare Society. He told presspersons here on Thursday that the mass marriage concept was launched to cut down the unnecessary expenditure on marriages. The practice was set in motion in 1985 and so far 1035 marriages were performed. Zahid Ali Khan, Editor, Siasat, who is the chief patron of the Society, said marriage of girls had become a problem particularly in the Muslim community. Especially, the middle class and poor families were finding it hard to marry off their daughters. If the affluent families cut down their expenditure by 10 per cent the money saved could be used to marry off the poor.

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