Jantar Mantar Blocked, New Sites Could Burn A Hole In Protesters' Pockets

The cancellation of Jantar Manatar as the designated protest site in Delhi will make protests a costly proposition in the future. While one could protestat Jantar Mantar for free, protest at the three new designated grounds could cost well over one lakh. This would include everythiing from security deposit to sanitation charges and taxes.

The government has approved Ramlila Maidan, CBS Ground (Shahdara), and Burari Ground as alternatives.

While the booking of Ramlila Maidan is managed by the MCD (Municipal Corporation), CBS Ground (Shahdara) and Burari Ground falls under the jurisdiction of the DDA (Delhi Development Authority). However, regulations regarding how the DDA will allocate grounds for political activities are currently being formulated.

Although Ramlila Maidan has hosted political protests and sit-ins for over a century, CBS Ground (Shahdara) and Burari Ground have not seen such events for years. Yet, renting any of these three grounds entails paying a substantial amount in GST. 

The cost for Ramlila Grounds

Ramlila Maidan remains booked for the majority of the time. 

Currently, the historic Ramlila event is underway there. Organizing a protest there presents challenges: securing a booking is difficult, and a substantial security deposit is required. Booking for Ramlila Maidan is handled by the Municipal Corporation. To book the ground for a single day, one must first deposit Rs 50,000 as security. Additionally, there is a Rs 5,000 charge for ground security, a daily rental fee of Rs 50,000, a daily sanitation charge of Rs 4,000, and a license fee of Rs 2,000. On top of these costs, an 18% GST amounting to Rs 10,080 is levied. The fee will be collected; in other words, a total of Rs 1,21,080 will be charged to book the Ramlila Maidan.

What will be the cost for CBS and Burari grounds?

The booking for CBS Ground (Shahdara) and Burari Ground is handled by the DDA (Delhi Development Authority).

There are 11 separate grounds within the CBS Ground complex in Shahdara; the DDA has not yet designated which specific ground will host political protests or demonstrations. 

At the DDA's online booking portal, one is asked whether the event is private, spiritual, or for charity, and the booking is processed accordingly.

There is currently no separate category for political activities. When NDTV attempted to book Plot No. 27 at CBS Ground for a social welfare event, the DDA website's rent calculator indicated the following costs for a one-day booking of a 3,000-square-meter area: A security deposit of Rs 95,832, a daily sanitation charge of Rs 9,982, and Rs 1,800 in GST (at 18%), bringing the total one-day cost to Rs 1,07,614. 

However, excluding the security deposit, the daily cost would be Rs 11,782.

The rent depends on the size of the area booked.

A similar payment structure applies to booking the Burari Ground - which does not currently appear on the DDA's booking list.

Here is the cost for booking the Bhalswa Ground:

Instead of Burari Ground, the Bhalswa Ground is currently listed. 
Booking an 8,000-square-meter area there would require a  security deposit of Rs 2,55,552, a daily sanitation charge of Rs 26,933, Rs 4,850 as taxes -- meaning a total payment of Rs 2,87,333. 

Even if the security deposit is refunded, the daily cost for using this ground works out to Rs 31,733; in other words, staging a protest or demonstration in Delhi will prove to be an expensive affair.