Team Anna representatives have obtained conditional approval from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for booking the Ramlila Maidan, in case they have to resume their agitation on the Jan Lokpal Bill, if it is not passed during the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
According to an ‘India Against Corruption' member, the organisation had recently approached the MCD seeking information regarding availability of the Ramlila Maidan. “The authorities informed us on November 25 that the venue can be booked from December 27 to January 5. The civic body will issue the approval once we get clearance from the Delhi Police,” said the representative.
To apply for NOC
The IAC will on Monday apply to the Delhi Police for a no-objection certificate. “Experience has made us wiser and this time we are not taking any chances. Last time we were made to run around for approvals. We had to face innumerable problems and it was after a long struggle that we were allowed to hold our programme at the Ramlila Maidan,” he said.
The Delhi Police had last time denied Team Anna permission to hold the fast at Ramlila Maidan and instead offered JP Park near ITO as a venue with several conditions. After Team Anna refused to comply with some of the conditions and vowed to proceed with the fast, the police arrested Gandhian Anna Hazare and three team members, sparking angry protests across the city and different parts of the country.
In another related development, IAC volunteers have announced that they would hold silent protests at ITO and India Gate on Monday against what they said was a “weak” Lokpal Bill.
