High rent forces Anna to search for new fast venue
BS Reporter / Mumbai Dec 22, 2011, 01:19 IST
High rental fee in Mumbai's plush Bandra Kurla Complex has forced social activist Anna Hazare and his team to look for new sites for the proposed fast against the central government's new Lok Pal Bill from December 27.
The hunt began after state-run Mumbai Metropolitan Region Devel-opment Authority (MMRDA) told Team Anna a rent of Rs 3.77 lakh per day was a must for the MMRDA ground.
The city's Azad Maidan has been offered to the activists free of cost. However, authorities say it may not be able to accommodate huge crowds of 50,000 to 100,000 a day.
Team Anna members said it won't be possible to pay rent as proposed by MMRDA and intervention of Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was sought for a waiver in the fee.
They are yet to find a suitable site. Officials said the application for the MMRDA ground was filed by Jagrut Nagrik Manch, which is not a registered trust and therefore Team Anna would have to pay commercial rates of Rs 11.31 lakh for three days.
The three-day fast is to be held at the same time when the government would introduce the Bill and hold an extensive debate in Parliament.
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