In its Wednesday order, the NGT bench had asked the NGO to deposit the Rs 5 crore fine with Delhi Development Authority before the event commences.
Even as a defiant Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said that he will rather go to jail than pay the Rs 5 crore fine for 'damaging' Yamuna floodplains, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) bench said on Thursday that "if there is any breach (of its order), law will take its own course." The Art of Living (AOL) Foundation founder told a private news channel on Wednesday that they will contest the NGT chairperson bench order that held it liable for "drastically tampering with the Yamuna flood plains".
In its Wednesday order, the NGT bench had asked the NGO to deposit the Rs 5 crore fine with Delhi Development Authority before the event commences. The bench on Thursday said AOL can pay the fine slapped on them by Friday or face action. The NGO is holding a three-day event on the Yamuna floodplains from March 11-13 to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
"Let them show proof that even a single tree was cut. The findings of the NGT panel are incorrect. We only levelled and removed debris. It is not reasonable to ask us to change the venue just two-three weeks ahead of the event. Since we have done no wrong, we won't pay a single penny...we will go to jail," said Sri Sri to a private news channel.
Meanwhile, the NGT's chairperson bench called for an urgent hearing on Thursday afternoon to seek replies from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Central Pollution Control Board regarding compliance of their orders. A team of DPCC, Central Pollution Control Board and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change was at the site of AOL's mega-event to inspect the arrangements made for managing solid waste, sewage and garbage.
SC junks plea to stop World Culture Fest
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea seeking its direction to stop the three-day mega event, World Culture Festival, at the banks of Yamuna river. A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur asked the petitioner Bhartiya Kishan Majdoor Samiti to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) with its plea as the three-day event is all set to begin on Friday.
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