Delhi consumer court thumps DDA over 'nepotism high-handedness'

The Delhi Development Authority and its officials came on the radar of a consumer court and the forum pulled up the DDA for “high-handedness and nepotism” in dealing with flat allottees.

The court using tough words said they behaved as if they were the final authority and the customers were “totally at their mercy”.

Hearing a case, the South Delhi district consumer forum said the facts “hoarsely demonstrate that the officials of DDA sometimes are very high-handed, nepotistic and act in a manner as if they are the final authority and allottees are totally at their mercy.”

A case was filed in the court, in which the DDA canceled the allotment of a flat after an allottee failed to respond to the allotment letter sent to his address.

The allottee claimed that the housing body did not send the allotment letter to his new address he submitted to the body. Therefore, he could not receive the letter as it was sent to his old address.  

“However, the DDA did not do so for reasons best known to its officials and they deprived a legally entitled person of allotment of a residential flat,” the forum bench headed by President N K Goel said.

The court said the “innocent buyer” could not get possession of a flat allotted to him in the draw held on October 15, 2004 only because of the “high-handedness” of the officials of the DDA.

“We hold the DDA guilty of gross deficiency in service and direct it to include the name of the complainant in the next draw to be held by it in respect of LIG flats in any locality.”

It also directed the DDA to pay Rs 25,000 towards compensation for causing mental agony and harassment to the complainant.

As per the complaint, Ranjan had booked an LIG flat in the NPRS scheme 1979 of the DDA by paying Rs 1,500. It said he had changed his residence in 1984 and informed the DDA about the new address through a letter on May 20, 1988 which was acknowledged by the authority the same day.

However, when the draw took place in 2004, he did not get any intimation from DDA and after nearly a decade-long battle with the authorities, he lodged a complaint against them.

(With PTI Inputs)