The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday finally gave the go-ahead to the controversial World Culture Festival being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of living on payment of environmental compensation of Rs 5 crore.
This has to be paid before the commencement of the event from Friday on the ecologically sensitive banks of the Yamuna River, in East Delhi. However, the NGT made it clear that the organisers have flouted many guidelines and not taken mandatory clearances from several Government departments.
The green tribunal headed by chairperson Swatanter Kumar, slammed all departments concerned, including the Centre and the Delhi Government, for their failure to enforce existing laws, but, in the end, it cleared the three-day mega show, which has been called an “ecological disaster” by the Delhi High Court.
The Bench further said that Art of living will have to give an undertaking by Thursday that chemicals will not be released into the Yamuna River and no further environmental degradation of its floodplains will occur. Further, the area in question will be developed into a biodiversity park.
In addition to this, the NGT also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the DDA, warning that no such permissions should be given in future. The Delhi Pollution Control Board will also have to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh for its failure to discharge its statutory duties.
Apart from environmental threats, the NGT also questioned safety of the stage after the Delhi Government told the Bench that the Central Public Works Department has asked the Art of living (AOl) to build a separate stage for Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to concerns over its structural safety.
At least 35,000 artistes from about 150 countries are expected to perform on this stage built over seven acres.
The tribunal was further informed by the Delhi Government that the Delhi Police, after inspecting the site, had asked the AOl if they have structural safety clearance for the two pontoon bridges that have been built and vehicle parking clearance. The pontoon bridges don’t have handrails which could be dangerous for the people crossing them to reach the site.
Further, during the hearing, the Water Resources Ministry in response to questions from the green tribunal submitted that it was in no way involved in granting of any permission for the festival.
Distancing itself from the controversy, the Ministry further clarified that there was no application pending before it in this regard either.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, on the other hand, did not submit any affidavit before the Bench on Wednesday as directed on Tuesday. On being pulled up by the tribunal in this regard, the Ministry told the Bench that no environment clearance was required for setting up temporary structures on Yamuna floodplains.
The Art of living Foundation informed the Bench that all necessary steps for the safety of the people have been taken, as any untoward incident at the venue would be detrimental to the image of the country. It added that a total of Rs 25.63 crore has been spent on the preparations.
Environmental activist Anand Arya, from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, who had filed the petition to stop the event, regretted that over 1000-acres of the ecologically sensitive area between Delhi and Noida, that is predominantly marshland, today does not even have a single blade of grass.