The Assembly and (right) protesters sit on a dharna outside it (file pictures)

Bhubaneswar, Feb 20: Be ready to burn a hole in your pocket the next time you plan to agitate on the busy Mahatma Gandhi Marg here.

In the wake of the budget session of the Assembly, which is scheduled to start tomorrow, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to levy a charge to those who plan to organise dharnas on this road.

According to the latest order of the civic body, any individual or organisation staging a sit-in on this arterial road connecting the city railway station with the Assembly will have to pay them Rs 1,000.

While the municipal corporation defended the move saying it was aimed at preventing environment pollution by the protesters who littered the site with all kinds of garbage, political parties and activists from all quarters protested in chorus against the corporation’s decision to make the most democratic form of protest a costly affair.

Leading activist Tapasi Praharaj termed the municipal corporation’s order as “undemocratic” and said it was aimed at stifling the voice of the people.

“They want to minimise agitations close to the Assembly, which is the symbol of power,” said Praharaj.

While Communist Party of India leader Abani Baral described the order as “unfortunate”, CPM leader Janardan Pati said: “It is injustice to ask people to pay to exercise their democratic right.”

The only ones to welcome the move were the environmentalists. However, they said the civic authorities should show the same kind of zeal in containing pollution being caused by other factors as well.

“If the people have to pay for participating in a democratic form of protest, then why is the civic body not taking any action against those who are polluting the environment and obstructing roads by dumping building materials on roads?” said Bijay Mishra, an environmentalist.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said: “The order is in keeping with the provisions of the Odisha Municipal Corporation Act, 2003, under which mayors and commissioners can pass such orders. In this case, we have considered the environmental aspect before deciding the charges. It will also help create environmental awareness among the agitators.”

City health officer Chandrika Prasad Das said: “Whenever there is a dharna on the Mahatma Gandhi Marg, the protesters pollute the environment by littering the area. Local residents frequently complain about the bad smell emanating from the place whenever there is a protest.”

Not surprisingly, local residents are happy with the corporation’s order.

“We had moved court in 2007 against agitations being organised in our area. We had pleaded to the state government to stop giving permission for rallies and demonstrations on this busy stretch and shift the venue as it causes serious sound pollution here,” said K. Jayalaxmi, a senior citizen and a local resident.

Even the court had given a directive on the issue then.

“However, nothing had been done after that though alternative protest sites were selected by the district administration. The latest order of the municipal corporation will definitely help restricting the agitating organisations from causing pollution in the area,” added Jayalaxmi.