The National Green Tribunal hearing a petition asking for the cancellation of Art of Living’s three- day ‘’World Cultural Festival” has allowed the mass event to go on, but has put forth certain conditions.
1) Art of Living shall develop the entire zone as a Bio-Diversity Zone
2)The Tribunal has fined Art of Living Rs 5 crore as environmental compensation
3) The green court has fined the DPCC Rs 1 lakh as
4) The tribunal has also fined DDA Rs 5 lakhs for granting permission without inspection
Over thousand acres on the Yamuna banks have been converted into a temporary village for the festival and a seven-acre stage has been set up.
Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on Tuesday said his organisation will build a "biodiversity park" in that area and rubbished allegations of ecological harm.
Ravi Shankar told reporters that not a single tree has been cut in the run up to the World Cultural Festival to be held between March 11-13 and that four trees have only been trimmed in the riverine area.
"We will leave the place after making a biodiversity park there. In the past, our volunteers have brought out 512 tonne of garbage from Yamuna. We have not cut any trees, have just trimmed four. We want a clean Yamuna and we care about the environment," Ravi Shankar said.
The event, slated to take place between March 11-13 on the west bank of Yamuna floodplain near DND flyover, has been organised to celebrate 35 years of The Art of Living. It is being supported by the Centre and the Delhi government among others, and is expected to attract around 35 lakh people.
It came under the scanner of National Green Tribunal after a set of petitions were filed demanding its cancellation over concerns of potential permanent damage to the riverbed.