Mumbai:
Mumbai's notoriously tough accommodation has proved to be near-insurmountable even for Anna Hazare and his team of activists, who plan to hold a protest camp in the city for three days, starting December 27. After being told it would have to pay 11 lakhs in rental fee for the MMRDA Ground, Team Anna says it may go to court to demand an appropriate alternative. Anna's aide Mayank Gandhi said supporters may offer donations to help the activists, but "we don't support a five-star protest."
The city's Azad Maidan has been offered to the activists for protests at no cost, but they say it may not be able to accommodate the huge crowds they expect - 50,000 to one lakh a day.
Anna's aides had asked for police and other clearances for the centrally-located MMRDA Ground. But this morning, they were informed this would cost them Rs. 3.77 lakh per day.
That's nearly double the two-lakh figure that they were initially offered by The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Yesterday, the activists appealed to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, to intervene.
Instead, MMRDA authorities say they're obliged to charge more. The earlier offer of Rs. 2-2.5 lakhs a day was made on the grounds that this was "a social cause," which allows officials to offer discounted rates. But now, it turns out that the NGO in whose name the rental was sought - Jagrut Nagrik Manch - is not a registered trust. So Team Anna has to pay commercial rates, which work out to Rs. 11.31 lakhs for three days.
Through in this period, Anna, who is 74, will fast against the Lokpal Bill that the government will introduce in Parliament tomorrow. On December 27, the day when Anna's protest begins, the Lok Sabha will debate the bill. Team Anna says the bill offers no powers to make the Lokpal - a new ombudsman agency - a weapon against systematic graft.