Arguments presented by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Thursday for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s ‘World Culture Festival’ on the banks of the Yamuna earned it a sharp rap from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). “Was it not incumbent on the DDA to see what was happening on the site and the magnitude of the programme?”, the Tribunal asked.
The Tribunal, which is hearing the arguments on a day-to-day basis on a petition filed by environmentalist Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan against allowing the event scheduled for March 11 to 13 torn into claims made by the DDA counsel Rajeev Bansal about the Authority not being told by the Art of Living (AOL) of the magnitude and exact nature of the event planned at the site.
DDA counsel maintained no violation has happened and that they had in fact withdrawn permission for the event, reviewed and then granted permission again by the end of last year when AOL assured them that all environmental norms, rules and judgements would be followed while organising the event.
The counsel added “that there was no purpose of stopping the function now.” Meanwhile, the NGT had on February 19 directed a fresh inspection of the site on Yamuna floodplains after Prof A.K. Gosain of IIT-Delhi, one of the members of the earlier inspection team, submitted a report saying all existing vegetation has been cleared in the area and if the event was allowed, it would leave a “permanent footprint” on the floodplains of Yamuna.
However, in another report, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has given a clean chit to the Foundation and said no digging work was done at the site.
DDA counsel said
no violation has happened, they
had withdrawn permission for event
