World Culture Festival: Art of Living to challenge Rs five crore fine imposed by NGT as environmental compensation

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Delhi: Notwithstanding raging controversies, the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday cleared the decks for the three-day cultural extravaganza of Art of Living on the flood plains of Yamuna river from Friday but imposed a fine of Rs five crores on it as environmental compensation.

After posing tough questions, the tribunal also slapped fine of Rs five lakh on DDA and Rs one lakh on Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) for not discharging statutory functions.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, asked AOL, headed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to deposit Rs five crores as environmental compensation before the event begins on March 11.

The NGT clearance came on a day the Delhi High Court described the event, from whose valedictory function the President has already pulled out, as a disaster from the ecological point of view.

The tribunal also asked AOL to give an undertaking by tomorrow that enzymes will not be released into Yamuna river and that no further degradation of environment will happen.

Besides slapping the fines, the tribunal directed AOL to develop the entire area in question into a biodiversity park.

However, reacting to the developments, Sri Sri said that they would challenge the fine of Rs five crores on AOL as environmental compensation.

He tweeted the following: 

दिल से हम ने दिल्ली वालों से कहा, यमुना के किनारे थोड़ी सी ज़मीन दो;
झाड़ू लगाएँगे, जादू दिखाएँगे, दुनिया को बुलाएँगे, जन्नत उतारेंगे। (1) — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) March 9, 2016

कुछ लोगों ने कहा ये ज़ुल्म हैं, आप को जुर्माना करेंगे।
हम ने हँस के कहा, हम जुनून हैं उसके, जिसके आप हो! (2) — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) March 9, 2016

हम इस निर्णय से संतुष्ट नहीं हैं I हम अपील करेंगे I सत्यमेव जयते! — Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) March 9, 2016

(With Agency inputs)