A cultural festival scheduled to be held on the Yamuna floodplains next month came under the National Green Tribunal scanner on Thursday, which issued notices to the organisers and the government.
Environmentalist Manoj Misra had petitioned the Tribunal earlier this week asking that the World Cultural Festival, being organised by Art of Living, not be allowed to use the floodplains near Mayur Vihar. The festival, to be held from March 11 to 13, is being organised to celebrate the foundation’s 35 years in service.
Hearing the petition on Thursday, a Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to the Delhi Development Authority, which owns the land where the event is to take place, the Delhi government and the Art of Living Foundation.
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The activist, who is associated with the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, had asked for ongoing construction to be stopped.
The NGT asked the DDA to submit all the documents on the basis of which permission was granted to the Art of Living to hold the event at the floodplains within a week.
The NGT also asked the DDA lawyer and Professor A.K. Gosain of the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi to conduct a site visit and report back in seven days.
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Mr. Misra said the Art of Living had started construction on the river bed and there was debris being dumped there, which is not allowed as per an NGT order dated January 13, 2015.
The fate of the event, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend, now hangs in question. The NGT will hear the matter on February 17.
A petition stated that Art of Living had started construction on the river bed