Date:07/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100754200400.htm

New Delhi

Notice over overcharging

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the licensee of a community centre at Amar Colony in South Delhi on a petition accusing the licensee of hijacking the community centre and extorting money from customers by overcharging for renting out the space. Issuing the notices, Justice G. S. Sistani asked the respondents to file replies to the petition by November 10.

The petitioner, a voluntary organisation named Mangalam Jan Kalyan Samiti, though its counsel Manjit Singh Ahluwalia said it had to cancel its functions to celebrate Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti this year as the licensee, Kamal Kishore, was demanding Rs.51,000 while the normal fee for a day’s function at the place was Rs.3,000.

The petitioner said that the licensee had been allowed to run only a library, an Internet café and a cafeteria at the community centre but he had erected a permanent air-conditioned tent there and forced the customers to book the space as well as the tent.