India, Oct. 26 -- On September 9, representatives of the LPG Distributors Association of India (LDAI) sought Delhi Police permission to protest at Jantar Mantar on October 26 against the Centre's policies promoting piped natural gas (PNG). Permission was granted, only to be rescinded after Jantar Mantar was denotified as a designated protest site on October 11, with three alternative venues announced.

Ramlila Maidan, their next choice, was already booked. On October 17, with less than 10 days left and distributors expected from across India, the association paid Rs.95,000 to book the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) CBD Ground in Shahdara for a day. But DDA's online booking portal offered no category for protests, so the association b...