Dozens of buffaloes, broken statues lying everywhere and empty fields spread far and wide. This is the first sight one sees when one reaches Burari Maidan in Delhi.
Now demonstrations will not be allowed at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where farmers, students, youth, wrestlers and social workers once protested.
Delhi Police has identified three new places for protests. Ramlila Maidan, Burari Maidan and CBD Maidan of East Delhi.
This decision has come at a time when leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision or SIR process of the voter list.
Earlier, CJP had also agitated at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
After Pradhan's resignation in July, the party withdrew its agitation.
Jantar Mantar has been witness to many major movements in the country for almost 33 years. The distance of about two kilometers from the Parliament House makes it important for any movement.
But now the question is how convenient the new places are for the protesters. Will it be easy to reach there? And what effect will it have on the lives of the people living around these plains?
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To find answers to these questions, we reached all three grounds.
Burari Maidan: Big space, but worried about traffic
Burari Maidan situated at the northern end of Delhi is also called Nirankari Maidan. It is about 20 kilometers away from Parliament House.
Tall grass had grown in some parts of the field and water was stagnant. Some parts were also clean.
Burari metro station is about one and a half kilometers away from here, while Majlis Park metro station is about two and a half to three kilometers away.
Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials told BBC News Hindi that after receiving the order to convert the ground into a protest venue, bookings are not being accepted at present. The authority is waiting for the standard operating procedure i.e. SOP in this regard.
According to officials, the area of the ground is about 2.10 lakh square meters. Big programs of Sant Nirankari community have been taking place here. After the SOP is issued, the conditions for using the grounds for the demonstration will be clear.
But the local people are more concerned about the roads leading to this place than the grounds.
Rajesh Kumar Srivastava, RWA head of Burari Nathupura, says, "Making Burari the new Jantar Mantar will cause a lot of trouble to the local people. There is already so much traffic here. There used to be so much traffic jam only during the three-day program of Sant Nirankari Baba. Now, if the protests continue every day, it will become difficult for us to live here."
Local resident Sanjay Rai says that the population of Burari is around 10 to 12 lakh and there is already pressure on the roads here.
Rai says, "We get stuck in traffic on normal days. Now, if there is a daily dharna here, how will we go to work? Parliament is not in session every day, but we go to work every day."
Sanjay says that he has no problem with the protest, but the government should ensure the path for the movement of local people.
Some shopkeepers also fear that if restrictions are implemented during the protest, their business may be affected.
Ramlila Maidan: Close to Parliament, but booking expensive
Ramlila Maidan is about four kilometers away from Parliament House and about three kilometers away from Jantar Mantar. Of the three proposed sites, it is closest to Parliament.
The political history of this ground is long. The rally of Jayaprakash Narayan in 1975 and the anti-corruption movement led by Anna Hazare in 2011 are one of the important movements here.
This ground is maintained by Delhi Municipal Corporation. New Delhi Railway Station and New Delhi Metro Station are within a radius of about one kilometer from here. Turkman Gate is also a nearby bus stop.
When we reached this ground, preparations for Ramlila were going on. Tents were being set up and food stalls were being prepared. There were also swings installed in a part of the ground.
However, there are two major challenges in using it as a demonstration site. Booking costs and availability of dates.
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According to Hindustan Times reports, only three dates for Maidan were available in 2026. These dates were 29, 30 and 31 December.
The initial cost of booking for one day is around Rs 1.21 lakh including tax and security deposit. It also includes a refundable security deposit of Rs 55 thousand.
Here near the ground we found student Chanchal. They feel that sending the protesters away from Parliament may reduce the impact of their voice.
Chanchal says, "Demonstration at Jantar Mantar quickly attracted the attention of media, politicians and general public. It is also difficult to reach these places. Burari is on the outskirts of Delhi."
Chanchal also says that as a woman, she has to think about her safety and her family's permission before going to a far-off protest site.
At the same time, Ankur Anand, who works in an office near Ramlila Maidan, is worried about his work being disrupted. He says that if internet services are disrupted or movement is restricted during the protest, the work of nearby offices may be affected.
There are wholesale markets and business areas around the grounds. Local people fear that frequent large demonstrations may affect business, shopping and traffic.
CBD Maidan: New place of protest in East Delhi
The CBD ground located in Shahdara, East Delhi is about 13 kilometers away from the Parliament House. This ground spread over approximately 12 acres is maintained by DDA.
Near the ground is Vikas Marg, which connects East Delhi to Central Delhi via ITO. There are shops and residential areas around it.
When we reached the ground, Ramlila events were going on there. The ground is already used for big public events.
But some people living nearby are worried that if demonstrations start happening here regularly, their daily lives could change.
41 year old Sanjay has been living in this area since childhood. For them, the field is not just an open space but also a place to spend time with friends and play cricket. People also come here for a walk in the morning.
He says, "After leaving the society, this is a place where we spend some time together. If this also becomes a protest site, then we will all stop meeting together."
Sanjay is also worried that if there is a large deployment of police or clashes during the protest, it may affect the children living nearby.
Aditi, a student of Delhi University, who lives near the ground, looks at this decision differently.
He says that due to large demonstrations and security restrictions in Central Delhi, traffic and metro services are affected. Due to this, students coming to college from far-flung areas face problems.
According to Aditi, organizing demonstrations in big grounds can reduce the pressure on Central Delhi.
However, Isha's opinion is different. He believes that protests have greater political impact when they are close to Parliament.
She says, "The purpose of the demonstration is to convey our voice to the Parliament. If the demonstrations go away then people's attention may also reduce.
If the place changes, will the effect of the sound also change?
After reaching all three grounds, one thing becomes clear. These places may have enough space to host large events, but the people living nearby have different needs and concerns.
People in Burari are worried about traffic jams and limited roads. There is a possibility of impact on businesses and offices around Ramlila Maidan. At the same time, some people living near the CBD grounds are worried about their open space and daily commute.
And is there a balance to be struck between the everyday lives of the people living around these grounds and their right to protest?
