New Delhi: The three-day World Culture Festival being hosted by the Art of Living Foundation’s spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is facing a clutch of uncertainties with authorities raising questions about it.
The bill boards invite people to participate in an experience that will see 3.5 million attendees drawn from 30 different countries. President Pranab Mukherjee was also scheduled to make an appearance, but after his pictures appeared in the ads, he has cancelled his programme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit is also likely to be called off on security grounds. The National Green Tribunal has asked the Union government to explain why no environmental clearance was sought before erecting structures on the banks of the Yamuna. Also as to whether it has taken any steps to prevent the damage that could be caused to the fragile ecosystem of the venue.
‘‘Protecting the river is your prime responsibility,” said the judges at the National Green Tribunal following a plea by activists Anand Arya and Manoj Mishra who claim that the event will lead to irreversible environmental damage.
The ministry will deliver its response on Wednesday. Sri Sri’s Art of Living Foundation will also explain in court tomorrow if it carried out a survey to assess possible environmental damage. It has also been ordered to clarify how many attendees are likely — the court pointed out that ads stressed 35 lakhs, while the organizers have suggested about two lakh people will be present at any given time.
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The Delhi government has said that neither fire safety clearances nor police permission have been secured so far for the event. The Army’s role — it has been used to construct temporary bridges over the river — has also been questioned. The Delhi government has said in court that “pontoon (or floating) bridges are sanctioned only if there is a flood alert.
The Delhi Pollution Committee has said that it had informed the organizers that they don’t issue clearances for cultural events, but the agency’s representatives also told the court that when they were approached, “the entire picture” of the scale of the event was not clear.