Police offer J P Narain park for Anna's protest

New Delhi, Aug 10 (PTI) Just a week ahead of the proposed
indefinite fast by Anna Hazare, Delhi Police Wednesday night
offered Jai Prakash Narain National Park adjacent to Firoz
Shah Kotla Ground as the venue for his protest against the
Lokpal Bill(anti-corruption ombudsman bill).
A senior police official said they had offered Jai
Prakash Narain National Park adjacent to Firoz Shah Kotla
Ground and next to Shahidi Park for the social activist's
proposed fast. However, it is a subject to permission from the
land owning agency.
But, the Hazare team said they were yet to get a formal
communication and could not say whether they would agree to
it.
"We have sent a team to the proposed venue. If it is a
decent venue, we will accept it," a Hazare team member said.
On Monday, the Hazare team had met Delhi Police
Commissioner B K Gupta who sought two days to take a decision
on giving permission to organise the indefinite fast.
Delhi Police had already made it clear that Jantar Mantar
is out of bounds for Hazare's fast for a "strong" Lokpal Bill
later this month, saying the venue has "little capacity" and
no single organisation can be allowed to "usurp or lay
exclusive claim" to it.
The activists had suggested four venues Boat Club,
Rajghat, Ramlila Maidan and Shaheed Park near ITO other than
Jantar Mantar and discussed the pros and cons of holding the
fast there, but police had denied all these options, the
official said.
The Hazare team has already got its NOC from the MCD
which is land owning agency of Ramlila Maidan. However, police
were not in favour of giving permission there as it would
affect security preparations for Independence Day.