NGT hearing today on riverbed impact
NGT hearing today on riverbed impact
President Pranab Mukherjee will not attend the mega cultural festival organised the Art of Living’s Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the Yamuna riverbed starting Friday after it led to a massive controversy and environmental concerns were raised in several quarters. Many representations were made to the President from people in different walks of life saying such environmental violations were destroying the riverbed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is, however, due to attend the event despite the controversy over the festival. The National Green Tribunal will resume a crucial hearing on Tuesday on petitions seeking the cancellation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s three-day “World Culture Festival”.
Asked for his ministry’s views on the Art of Living issue, minister of state for environment Prakash Javadekar did not comment, saying the matter was “sub judice”.
Adding to the controversy, the Army has been asked by the defence ministry to construct a pontoon bridge at the site despite the fact that it is a privately-run event. “The pontoon bridge is intended to ensure people across the Yamuna are able to attend the event,” a source said. Around 100 Army personnel, including engineers, are already at work on constructing the bridge.
While Mr Modi is due to inaugurate event on Friday, the President was scheduled to attend the valedictory function on Sunday. “The President cannot attend the function due to unavoidable circumstances,” a Rashtrapati Bhavan official said on Monday.
A bench headed by NGT chairman Swatanter Kumar will hear the matter Tuesday in which the Delhi Development Authority and the Uttar Pradesh and Delhi governments will submissions on the grant of permission to the festival. On March 3, the DDA had said it had granted conditional permission for organising the event and had no idea about the magnitude of the programme.
The DDA denied the suggestion that it had provided 3.5 hectares of land for a parking lot on the banks of the river and said it had only provided over 20 hectares for the recreational programme.
The NGT is also hearing a plea against the foundation’s plan to release “enzymes” into 17 drains joining Yamuna to clean the river. Earlier, the green panel issued notices to the Delhi government, DDA and Art of Living Foundation on another plea seeking stopping of ongoing construction on the flood plains. It also set up an expert committee headed by water resources secretary Shashi Shekhar to inspect the site of the proposed festival.
Critics cited environmental law violations and reports of farmers not getting adequate compensation from the organisers to seek cancellation of the event. While the construction of the pontoon bridge by the Army is under way, the matter led to a row as the Army had last taken up such activity during the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010, which was a national event.
The three day event, World Cultural Festival, will be held from March 11 to 13 on the Yamuna flood plains to mark 35 years of the Art of Living and over 35 lakh people are expected to attend. The Art of Living organisers rejected all allegations and said the event will be held as planned.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar defended holding of the event, saying he would have got red carpet welcome in any other nation for holding such an event. Comparing the importance of the festival to the Olympics, he also said the NGT report was biased. The committee constituted by the NGT was a “biased” one, he said, claiming that the organisers had not cut even a single tree. He denied claims that the Yamuna flood plains were being destroyed and said it was an “eco-friendly” function.
