NGT pulls up DDA on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living event 'World Culture Festival'

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's 'World Culture Festival' on the banks of Yamuna. The DDA told the NGT that there was no purpose of stopping the function now.

"Did not know about the size and scale of the event when permission was granted?" the DDA said.

The NGT on its part said, "Was it not incumbent on the DDA to see what was happening on the site and the magnitude of the program?" 

The National Green Tribunal had on February 19 directed a fresh inspection of the site on Yamuna floodplains after Prof AK 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. In his report, Gosain has said the construction and preparations for the event were carried out in violation of the NGT's directions regarding the Yamuna flood plains. The AOL today claimed otherwise. "The stage is temporary in nature and every bit of it will be removed after the event is over by the Art of Living. There are no concrete roads that have been made at the venue. Even the ramps made at the venue are only temporary and made of mud involving zero concrete.

With ANI/PTI inputs.

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