The police and the Dakshina Kannada administration are now mulling over imposing a cap on the number of people to be allowed at mass conventions to be organised at Nehru Maidan in the city.
If it has to be realised, the Deputy Commissioner will have to issue a notification on the same.
The move has come after ‘Rajata Sambhrama’ programme of M.N. Rajendra Kumar, president, South Canara District Central Co-operative Bank, and the 20th anniversary of Navodaya self-help groups promoted by the bank, created a gridlock in the city on Saturday causing inconvenience to a number of commuters and others.
A senior police official told The Hindu on Wednesday that the police would propose to the Deputy Commissioner to allow only a maximum of 5,000 people to attend mass programmes at the maidan. They would also propose to ban on using plastic cups and plates at conventions and allowing parking on a portion of the maidan.
“A notification, similar to the one issued by the Deputy Commissioner restricting entry of buses to the State Bank of India area, will have to be issued now,” the official said, and added that the restrictions would have to be in line with the ones placed by the High Court of Karnataka for holding events at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru.
Deputy Commissioner Sasikanth Senthil told The Hindu that he was waiting for the proposal by the Police Commissioner. “We will surely place restrictions,” he said.
In the compliant filed with Mangaluru East police on Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M. Manjunath Shetty accused the organisers of the two events of bringing people in excess of what was allowed. They were also accused of not parking all buses hired for the purpose at the Gold Finch Grounds near Kottara Chowki; not arranging shuttle buses between Kottara Chowki and Nehru Maidan; holding mega procession, causing inconvenience to people; and wrongfully restraining women, children and elderly in the city.
This complaint was registered under Sections 188 (disobeying the order duly promulgated by public servants), 283 (unauthorised parking), 290 (causing public nuisance) of the Indian Penal Code.
In his complaint to Mangaluru South police on Monday, Mangaluru City Corporation Commissioner Mohammed Nazir accused the organisers of putting up flex banners and advertisements without the permission of the corporation and leaving trash all across the city. The complaint was registered under Section 3 of the Karnataka Open Places (Prevention of Disfigurement) Act 1981.
