This archive report was first published on 1 July 2019.
Published on July 1, 2019, a report emerged about a wealthy Indian migrant family who left South Africa in 2017 and is now under investigation for their involvement in murky deals with government officials and state-owned entities during former president Jacob Zuma's nine-year reign.
However, the family's wedding planners, E-Factors, are currently facing the heat for their role in organizing the lavish weddings of the family's sons at Auli, a pristine ski resort in northern Uttarakhand state.
The weddings, which took place last month, drew widespread attention in India after photos showed the picturesque venue littered with rotting flowers, food, and other garbage.
Local civic official S.P. Nautiyal revealed that the planners have been fined 250,000 rupees ($3,621) for leaving behind the mess, with some workers even defecating in the open.
"For defecating in the open we have imposed a fine of 100,000 rupees and another 150,000 rupees penalty has been levied for scattering garbage," Nautiyal said.
The hotel where the weddings took place has also been fined 25,000 rupees ($362) for "keeping sewage lines open".
Local media reports stated that civic workers had collected some 30 tons of garbage, with trucks being sent daily to collect the waste since June 22.
