Ramlila Maidan costs ₹50,000 a day, CBD Ground sits amid malls and homes, and Burari lies 18 km from the seat of power
New Delhi, October 13: With Jantar Mantar de-notified, Delhi Police have named three alternative protest sites. Each comes with drawbacks that critics say could blunt the right to be heard.
Ramlila Maidan, about 4 km from Jantar Mantar, is the closest to Lutyens’ Delhi and has long hosted political rallies. But booking the 12-acre ground costs ₹50,000 a day, plus a refundable ₹55,000 deposit and a traffic police no-objection certificate, an MCD official said. Only the full available area can be booked, which makes it impractical for small groups. The open ground has little shade and is in heavy demand during the festive season.
CBD Ground in Shahdara, maintained by the DDA, is also a paid venue, popular for weddings. BS Vohra of the East Delhi RWA Joint Front said its location amid malls, a hotel and residential enclaves made barricading and traffic control unworkable.
Burari Ground, the largest at around 50 acres, lies roughly 18 km from Jantar Mantar on the city’s northern fringe. Farmers’ unions once rejected it as an “open jail” that would keep protests out of public view.
City chronicler Sohail Hashmi said protest sites must allow citizens to be seen and heard by those in power, as they can outside Capitol Hill in Washington. He argued that the new venues push dissent even further away.
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