New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today directed the Art of Living to pay the remaining environment compensation charge of Rs 4.75 crore for holding World Culture Festival on the bank of river Yamuna in Delhi in March. The green court also rejected the foundation’s offer of a bank guarantee of a like amount in lieu of its pending fine.
The NGT, which goes for a summer break starting tomorrow, also told Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s AoL not to indulge in multiple litigation to avoid paying the compensation. The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 on the foundation.
“The Art of Living used the order of the court to hold the event and then went back on its commitment," the NGT observed, adding that the organisers have tried multiple legal cases in order not to pay the fine as a result of which the ‘conduct of the foundation has been called into question’.
Before giving the go-ahead to the three-day cultural festival in March, the NGT had asked AOL to deposit Rs 5 crore as environment compensation charge. The organizers paid Rs 25 lakh at the time, and said the rest would be given later.
The AOL, in its application had stated that it is in the process of preparing a proposal laying down parameters/methodology for collection of scientific data/evidence regarding assessment of actual environmental damage, if any, and hopes to persuade NGT that, ‘damage, if any, is neither permanent nor irreversible but in fact remediable’.
The AOL had organised three-day long ‘World Culture Festival’ on the Yamuna floodplains from March 11 to 13. The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union Ministers.
The festival first came under the scanner after a set of petitions were filed demanding its cancellation over concerns of potential permanent damage to the riverbed.
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