NGT tells Art of Living to pay Rs. 4.75 cr. in a week

Rejects the foundation’s plea to pay by bank guarantee

Miffed by the Art of Living Foundation’s multiple litigation putting a question mark on its bona fide, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday rejected the Foundation’s plea to pay by way of a bank guarantee the Rs. 4.75-cr. environmental compensation slapped on it for hosting the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplains.

Toughens stand Getting tough with the foundation, the tribunal also refused to change the expert committee as requested by it. Instead, the NGT directed it to pay the compensation within a week.

“You can be rest assured that we will not change the expert committee… we may consider adding two more members,” said the NGT.

Preparing proposal In its application, the foundation had stated that it is in the process of preparing a proposal laying down parameters/methodology for collection of scientific data/evidence regarding assessment of actual environmental damage, if any, and hopes to persuade the NGT that “damage, if any, is neither permanent nor irreversible but in fact remediable.”

The NGT stated that the foundation lacked bona fide as it had been engaging in multiple litigation in order to not pay the fine.

On March 9, the NGT had refused to prohibit the World Culture Festival on the banks of the Yamuna, but slapped a fine of Rs. 5 crore on the foundation for damaging the biodiversity of the ecologically sensitive floodplains.