New Delhi: A Delhi court has taken a serious view of the MCD allowing tent houses to have "monopolistic control" over its parks during the marriage season and asked it to pay Rs 2.5 lakhs compensation to a man who could not organise his daughters marriage ceremony at a place booked by him.

The court directed the MCD chief to order an inquiry into the alleged lapses on the part of officials due to which L D Bansals plans for his daughters marriage celebrations suffered a setback.

The civic agencys park booked by him as the party venue was illegally occupied by a tent house on the wedding day.

"Instances of tent houses having monopolistic control over earmarked areas are not rare, where the consumer is left with no choice but to look a particular business group to do their work or else to face harassment, as was in the present case where the booked lawn was not made available to the plaintiff (brides father)," Additional District Judge Kamini Lau said.

Taking cognisance of alleged connivance between officials of the civic body and private tent houses, the court said, "the MCD Commissioner may also institute criminal prosecution against the erring officers and others on account of breach of trust and also for creating forged documents which they used before this court."

The court also termed the matter as "fit case" for requiring detailed vigilance inquiry for the alleged connivance between MCD (horticulture) department officials and tent houses particularly the Grover Tents and Decorators and Sharma Tent House.

Bansal, a Karol Bagh resident, alleged in court that he had to organise his daughters wedding on a street in 2004 as Ajmal Khan Park, booked by him with an advance payment of Rs 11,210,was occupied by a tent house.
Source : DNA