The regulations stated that ceremonial halls should have at least seven metre access passage in case it does not have a parking lot inside the building And if the hall is not close to a thoroughfare, there should be aminimum of 10 x10 metre space either inside the premises or in front to accommodate the movement of vehicles.

But how many of these halls comply with such regulations? "Most do not because KMC has not been able to enforce the regulation as yet. Some houseowners have challenged it in the high court and is pending adjudication," said a KMC official.

So it's a free for all at present. House owners, on the other hand, point a paradox in the KMC move. Citing section 390(2) of the KMC Act, they argued that the civic body has issued regulations when it does not recognise the existence of ceremonial halls.

"KMC has classified city buildings into nine categories such as residential, educational, institutional, mercantile, etc. But the civic body has no place for ceremonial halls," a houseowner said.