Cuttack, Nov. 25: Pravakar Pati, 64, had to convert a vacant plot near his home into a wedding venue after the civic body had sealed a kalyan mandap six days before the ceremony.

Pati had booked a kalyan mandap at Sector-VI in Markatnagar to conduct the marriage ceremony of his cousin's daughter.

"We had booked the mandap for the ceremony, which the civic body sealed last week, in June. Though we tried to find an alternative venue, all other facilities were booked. We endured a tough time making arrangements for the marriage in less than five days," Pati said.

The civic body has granted conditional licence to only 41 out of the 117 kalyan mandaps in Cuttack. The other kalyan mandaps have been sealed for "lacking adequate parking space and other deviations, including lack of building approvals".

This move has forced several families to run from pillar to post to inquire about the availability of kalyan mandaps as well as temples where marriage ceremonies are allowed. Many, like Pati, have been forced to hold the receptions either at playgrounds or on vacant plots.

Pati said they had to make several rounds of the corporation offices to pay the usage fee of Rs 5,000, following which they got clearance from police for the marriage procession.

The Centre's policy to demonetise higher value currency notes and the civic body's clampdown on kalyan mandaps have caught people such as Pati between the devil and the deep sea.

Scarcity of funds in hand has created problems for several families, who have been forced to make cash payments to labourers, caterers and other contract agencies. The cap on bank withdrawal has also hit people across the state, especially in Cuttack.

Surendra Dhal, the father of a bride, said that despite being a retired bank official, he was not able to withdraw Rs 2.50 lakh from his account as he had deposited a major share of his savings after the government's announcement to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.

Besides, the change in venue has pushed up the overall expenditure, which many are unable to meet because of the Rs 24,000 weekly cap on bank withdrawals.

"The overall budget for weddings have far exceeded expectations as we had to spend almost Rs 1 lakh to install a tent and make other necessary arrangements. We could have saved this money if the event was held in the mandap," said Dashrathi Das, a relative of Dhal.

Sector-XI resident Jitendra Mohanty said: "A family needs Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh in cash to make payments and organise the wedding ceremony, even if it is held in a kalyan mandap. This time, there is a shortage of both public facilities and cash."

Mohanty said his family was looking for an alternative venue for their son's marriage in January. The civic body sealed the kalyan mandap they had booked in August last week.

"We hope that things normalise by December. We have already stopped giving advances and making payments to caterers and trying to find a suitable mandap within this month," Mohanty added.

Senior civic officials, however, claimed that action against illegal kalyan mandaps was being carried out following high court orders. "We want to ensure that kalyan mandaps do not allow vehicles to park on the road. We are charging a user fee of Rs 5,000 for holding marriages and other events on government land for solid waste management," said municipal commissioner Gyana Das.