Fury in India as city ‘shut down’ for wedding of Asia’s richest man’s son
Key roads in the city of Mumbai have been shut down and a long list of famous faces are in attendance as Anant Ambani ties the knot with Radhika Merchant.
Anant Ambani, the youngest son of the world's tenth richest man Mukesh Ambani, is marrying Radhika Merchant in Mumbai, India. The city has been brought to a virtual standstill as celebrities from around the world arrive for the celebrations, but locals are up in arms over the disruption.
The four-day bonanza will see key roads in the city shut down for hours at a time across the weekend and into Monday.
The wedding comes during monsoon season and Mumbai is suffering with flooding, prompting locals to complain that the lavish ceremony is in poor taste.
Plus, the city of 21 million people already has severe traffic issues, made worse by the shutting of major roads. Ambani is estimated to be worth around £88bn.
Businesses are up in arms over the celebration, arguing it will cost them money. CEO of Wright Research, Sonam Srivastava, whose office is adjacent to where the Ambani wedding is being held, told Business Insider about the "significant disruptions" brought about by the traffic blockages.
Srivastava told the outlet: "This situation has forced us to reschedule critical client meetings and events planned for these dates. It's alarming that traffic in such a prominent business district has come to a standstill, causing significant inconvenience to businesses, for a private event."
Although Srivastava referred to the wedding as a "private event", Mumbai police has categorised it as a "public event" given the number of international VIPs and Indian superstars, according to Reuters.
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Guests include Tony Blair, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, wrestler and actor John Cena, singer Nick Jonas and his Indian actress wife Priyanka Chopra, amongst others.
The celebrations aren't just starting today. In March there was a three-day party in the state of Gujarat attended by Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg. Rihanna, Justin Beiber and Akon all performed for the happy couple.
CEO of air charter company Club One Air Rajan Mehra told Reuters that the Ambani family had rented three Falcon-2000 jets to ferry wedding guests to the event this weekend.
“The guests are coming from all over and each aircraft will make multiple trips across the country,” he told the news agency.
