A united Opposition in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday slammed the Government for alleged misuse of the Army for a private event organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of living Foundation on Yamuna banks and said the three-day function starting March 11 posed danger to fragile ecology.
The Government, however, maintained the organisers had taken all permissions for the event and said no one can question Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s efforts to improve environment. The issue cannot be raised as it was sub-judice, the treasury benches contended.
The House witnessed pandemonium as all Opposition parties including Congress, JD-U and left Parties raised slogans when the issue was raised during Zero Hour and came into the well to register their protest. Din prevailed for better part of the Zero Hour and saw a brief adjournment of two minutes.
Raising the matter, Sharad Yadav (JD-U) termed the function as “tamasha” and sought to know who ordered the deployment of Army for building pontoon bridge. He also demanded cancellation of the event and many Elders backed him adding the National Green Tribunal(NGT) had disallowed construction on the ecologically fragile Yamuna flood plain.
Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M) asked “can Indian Army be roped in to assist a private function... It is highly irregular ... for Army to be called in to create facilities for a private function.”
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said all permissions were taken by the organisers adding Ravi Shankar was committed to environment protection. leader of House Arun Jaitley said the matter could not be raised in the house as it was pending before the NGT.
leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said he was not against ‘Art of living’ foundation or any cultural festival but was concerned about environment, bio-diversity and ecology. The Government, rightly so, became a great champion of environment at the recent climate summit at Paris but what was happening in the capital was of concern, he said and asked why no environment clearance was taken for the function and “who issued permission to build pontoon bridge.”
Stating that NGT had in January 2015 declared that any construction on Yamuna banks would be deemed a criminal act, Azad said big structures were being built to hold the event on 1,000 acres of land.
Moreover, diesel generators, car parking and sound sets were set up with the Delhi Police warning of stampede, pandemonium and chaos, he said adding no permission for structural safety was given, while there was also a security angle involved with Pakistan warning of terror strikes.
His party colleague MS Gill asked if the Army would also be sent out to build bridges across Sutlej and other rivers by events by other spiritual gurus. He referred to the Commonwealth Games village also built on the Yamuna banks which saw flooding in October 2010.