NDTA welcomes Jantar Mantar de-notification, says move will ease public inconvenience

The New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) welcomed the Centre’s decision to de-notify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site, saying the move would reduce inconvenience to the public and businesses in the national capital.

In a statement, the NDTA said designating Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi as alternative protest venues was a practical decision that would benefit the public and markets in New Delhi in the long run.

NDTA Joint Secretary Amit Gupta said businesses near Jantar Mantar had suffered revenue losses in recent days, while the public faced considerable inconvenience due to disruptions in services, metro station closures and restricted access to New Delhi Railway Station.

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Holding demonstrations at designated locations such as Burari would allow people to exercise their democratic right to protest while minimising inconvenience to city residents and businesses, he said.

Delhi Police has de-notified Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site and named three new venues for demonstrations, according to an official order issued by Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 11.

The order said the Union Home Ministry had constituted a committee to examine alternative venues for citizens to organise protests and demonstrations in place of the existing designated site.

Based on the committee’s recommendations, Ramlila Maidan, Burari Ground and CBD Ground in east Delhi were designated as the new venues for protests and demonstrations, the order added.