New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee will not attend the mega cultural festival organised by the Art of Living’s Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on the Yamuna riverbed starting Friday, after it led to a massive controversy and environmental concerns were raised in several quarters. The President’s decision follows many representations by people from different walks of life saying such environmental violations were destroying the riverbed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to attend the event. The National Green Tribunal will resume a crucial hearing on Tuesday on petitions seeking the cancellation of the three-day “World Culture Festival”. Adding to the controversy, the Army has been asked by the defence ministry to construct a pontoon bridge at the site of what is a privately-run event. Around 100 Army personnel, including engineers, are at work on constructing the bridge.
Amid criticism from some quarters about using the Army for a personal event, sources said the Army may need to build a second bridge at the site. A TV report said Army officers had made it clear that the organisers must accept liability for any accident at the site.
A source said that during defence minister Manohar Parrikar’s interaction with Army personnel, he was asked whether their personnel should be used to help a “private event”. “The minister was of the view that since permission has been granted, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure everything is fine.”
NGT report biased, says sri sri Ravi Shankar
Asked for his ministry’s views on the Art of Living issue, minister of state for environment Prakash Javadekar did not comment, saying the matter was “sub judice”.
While Mr Modi is due to inaugurate event on Friday, the President was scheduled to attend the valedictory function on Sunday. A bench headed by NGT chairman Swat-anter Kumar will hear the matter Tuesday. The DDA denied the suggestion that it had provided 3.5 hectares of land for a parking lot on the banks of the river and said it had only provided over 20 hectares for the recreational programme.
The NGT is also hearing a plea against the foundation’s plan to release “enzymes” into 17 drains joining Yamuna to clean the river. Critics cited environmental law violations and reports of farmers not getting adequate compensation from the organisers to seek cancellation of the event.
While the construction of the pontoon bridge by the Army is under way, the matter led to a row as the Army had last taken up such activity during the Commonwealth Games.
The three day event, World Cultural Festival, will be held from March 11 on the Yamuna flood plains to mark 35 years of the Art of Living and over 35 lakh people are expected to attend. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar defended holding of the event, saying he would have got red carpet welcome in any other nation for holding such an event. Comparing the importance of the festival to the Olympics, he also said the NGT report was biased.
