New Delhi protest venue comes at a cost: Ramlila Maidan booking tops ₹ 1.2 lakh, no dates till December, says report | Today’s news
Delhi Police has designated Jantar Mantar as a designated place for protests in Delhi. Instead, three new venues were designated: Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground.
The protests at Ramlila Maidan near the New Delhi railway station may become a distant and also costly affair as the venue has no dates available for the next two and a half months, news agency PTI reported. The reservation amount can go up ₹1 lakh, the agency said.
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Officials told PTI that the 12-acre site, which can accommodate 50,000 people, can now be booked only for December 29, 30 and 31 this year.
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The daily booking rate is ₹50,000, with a refundable deposit of ₹55,000. Including taxes, the initial spend for one day is about ₹ 1.21.
Applications are processed by the Horticulture Department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. A no-objection certificate from the Delhi Police is required before the civic body approves the reservation.
According to the report, the plot had no available dates for the next two and a half months. It could then only be reserved for December 29, 30 and 31 of that year.
A small section of the grounds is available free of charge for protests and rallies, but only holds 150 people.
The designated venues are Ramlila Ground, Burari Ground and CBD Ground. Reported capacities are 50,000 at Ramlila, 80,000 at Burari and around 15,000 at the CBD Ground.
“The reservation rate for the country is ₹50,000 per day plus a ₹Refundable deposit CZK 55,000. Initial expenses including taxes are coming up ₹1.21 million for daily booking,” an official told news agency PTI.
Civic officials clarified that a small portion of the property is free for protests and rallies, but only has a capacity of 150 people.
MCD gives permission
The land is reserved through the Horticulture Department of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which grants permission. A no-objection certificate from the Delhi Police is mandatory before the civic body approves the application.
On October 11, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar de-notified Jantar Mantar and designated Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in East Delhi as new sites for protests and demonstrations.
In its order, the Delhi Police said a detailed and revised SOP for the protests at the three locations would be issued separately.
According to protesters, the Ramlila Maidan requires a high entrance fee for an organization or group of residents planning a demonstration. The Jantar Mantar site did not require payment of this kind.
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“If the civic body gives up on the protest without any fees, it will at least lose ₹50,000 plus per day,” the official said.
Civic officials also noted that the ground is being reserved for various programs and festivities as major festivals including Dussehra and Diwali are coming up in the next few weeks.
According to officials, the land is located in a busy commercial area, with three hospitals and headquarters of city companies nearby. In British times, it was spread beyond the Ajmeri Gate and was once a part of today’s Kamla market.
Major events here have always congested the roads in the neighborhood, officials said, adding that the police usually turn the two-way Asaf Ali Road into a one-way stretch and divert traffic heading towards Deshbandhu Gupta Road to the parallel Jawaharlal Nehru Marg.
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Both roads, already overcrowded and bogged down, are struggling to manage. In 2014, a BJP rally here caused a traffic jam till ITO (nearly 4 km) even though it was a Sunday and traffic was light, the official recalled.
According to officials, the story of the Maidan begins with water. Until 1930, it was a pond that was filled and leveled so that Ramlila could be staged there.
The tradition began in 1932 and continues to this day, giving the country its name. After independence, in 1951, the area was developed to provide livelihood to refugees who came from Pakistan.
Political history of Ramlila Maidan
Ramlila Maidan, about four kilometers from Jantar Mantar, was originally meant for Dussehra celebrations in the 19th century. But over the past few decades, it has become the stage of national politics.
New Delhi :::: August 22, 2011 :::; HT News :::: Anna Agitation :::: Social activist Anna Hazare spoke on mobile phone on the 7th day of anti-corruption fast at Ramlila ground in New Delhi on Monday. Photo by HT Mohd Zakir
In 1952, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, considered the ideological inspiration for the BJP, began his satyagraha demanding the full integration of Jammu and Kashmir into the Indian Union.
Jawaharlal Nehru addressed large public meetings at the Maidan in 1956 and 1957 as Prime Minister. The permanent stage was built in 1962 for a public event in honor of Queen Elizabeth II who was visiting India.
Indira Gandhi addressed a rally here after her victory over Pakistan in 1971, and a public meeting was held in honor of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev on 26 November 1974.
On 25 June 1975, the day Emergency was declared, Jayaprakash Narayan and Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed a rally.
In 1955, Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, visited the venue. Four years later, then US President Dwight Eisenhower also spoke to the crowd on the ground. In 1961, Queen Elizabeth II also addressed a rally at Ramlila Maidan in the presence of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
In August 2011, Arvind Kejriwal and social activist Anna Hazare were at the center of a 12-day anti-corruption fast at the historic Ramlila Maidan in the national capital.
The protest forced the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the Center to promise an anti-corruption watchdog – the Lok Pal.
