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Barricades restricting movement at Delhi's iconic Jantar Mantar have been removed following an order by the Delhi Police Commissioner de-notifying the location as an authorised protest site.
The removal of barricades comes after months of restrictions around the area, which has historically been a prominent centre for political demonstrations and public agitations. Over the years, Jantar Mantar has witnessed several major protests that have had a significant impact on the country's political landscape. However, the barricading and restrictions had also raised concerns among local residents, who approached the court, citing inconvenience caused by restricted movement in the area. With the location no longer designated for protests, the removal of barricades is expected to ease movement and provide relief to residents and commuters. Meanwhile, Delhi Police has designated alternative locations for holding protests, including Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and CBD Ground. Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that its decision to denotify Jantar Mantar as a designated protest venue was based primarily on the recommendations of a Ministry of Home Affairs committee and was taken after considering the changed ground situation, including traffic obstruction, crowd management and the impact of protests on residents, government offices and emergency services. In a counter-affidavit in journalist Swaty Singhs plea challenging the denotification, Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar said it was incorrect to suggest that Jantar Mantar was denotified pursuant to the Supreme Courts October 9 order in the M A Baby case. The police said the proposal to change the notified protest venue had been under consideration by it and the Central government for a considerable period. The MHA had constituted a committee on August 26 to examine whether Jantar Mantar should continue as a designated protest site and to suggest alternative venues. The committee identified Ramlila Maidan in Central Delhi, CBD Ground in East Delhi and Burari Ground in North-West Delhi as alternative venues. The affidavit said Jantar Mantar sees more than 1,300 protests and demonstrations every year, while its assessed capacity is only around 1,500 persons. The police said emergency services, including fire brigades and ambulances, face constraints and that large gatherings can spill over towards Janpath and Connaught Place, creating traffic and crowd-management problems. (ANI)
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