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Sonia meeting at Parade Grounds: Congress to be fined

DEO seeks penal fee of more than Rs. 2.5 lakh

Congress charged with unauthorised use of hoardings during the meeting
It’s not for the first time that the DEO is penalising organisers of meetings

HYDERABAD: The ruling Congress party might have to pay a price after all, for the blatant defacing of public properties for its president Sonia Gandhi’s meeting held at Parade Grounds last weekend. The Defence Estates Office, which manages the grounds, is seeking penal fee payment of more than Rs. 2.5 lakh.

Structures

The party is being charged with unauthorised use of hoardings and structures during the meeting.

It would also have to forego the Rs. 20,000 paid as security deposit as a cover to repair damages made to the grounds and another amount of Rs. 10,000 paid for cleaning up the place.

‘Temporary licence fee’

The DEO had charged the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) Rs. 1,000 for taking a “temporary licence fee” for conducting the public meeting after its general secretary R. Ananda Bhaskar had requested permission to hold the same last month.

Prompt payment

Seeking handing over the grounds from February 24 to 28, he had assured prompt payment of the necessary fee.

The Principal Director of Defence Estates gave the official sanction for the meeting with the clauses in the permission letter including the power to forfeit security deposit and claim payment of Rs. 3 lakh a day if there was illegal use of structures or hoardings, besides not cleaning the venue.

Balance payment

“Since, we already have their Rs. 30,000, we will demand payment of rest of the money,” said an official.

It’s not for the first time that the DEO is penalising organisers of meetings.

A sum of Rs. 10,000 was deducted from the security deposit paid by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when it held a public meeting addressed by its leader L.K. Advani in November last for not cleaning up the venue.

The money was handed over to the Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB).

Mammoth meeting

The Goud community, which too organised a mammoth meeting attended by political bigwigs, had the mortification of having to let go Rs. 5,000 from the deposited money for not restoring the grounds back to its original shape.

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