Pay fine by tomorrow or face action: NGT to Sri Sri

The National Green Tribunal on Thursday made it clear to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art Of Living Foundation which is organising the World Culture Festival that it has time till Friday to pay Rs five crore fine and law will take its own course if it fails to do so.

“They still have time till tomorrow to deposit Rs 5 crore fine as environment compensation in compliance with the  directions of the tribunal,” the Green Tribunal said on an application, which said AOL has not paid the amount till Thursday.

“If there is any breach of any condition, the matter will be taken up as and when required and law will take its own course,” NGT Chairperson Swatantar Kumar said.

The tribunal also refused to give an urgent hearing on a fresh plea seeking stay on the three-day event on the banks of river Yamuna from Friday, alleging that AOL has not taken permissions from the competent authority as directed by the tribunal.

“There is no urgency in it. You can file a proper application and point out the deficiencies in compliance with the directions of the tribunal. We will see if there is any breach or not as per the law,” it said.

The green panel also directed the Central Pollution Control Board, the ministry of environment and forests to issue proper directions to the organisers of the event with regard to disposal of municipal solid waste and drinking water.

The counsel appearing for the Delhi Pollution Control Committee informed the tribunal that as directed by it, a committee is already visiting the site and if necessary, directions will be issued.

The tribunal, which had earlier in the morning asked the DDA counsel whether AOL had deposited the fine or not, had fixed the matter for 4 pm for in chamber hearing.

However, the green panel later agreed to hear the matter in the open court.

The NGT had on Wednesday expressed its helplessness in banning the event, saying it was “fait accompli”.

Nevertheless, it had imposed a fine of Rs five crore on AOL as environmental compensation after coming down on it heavily for not disclosing its full plans and also on the DDA and environment ministry for their role.

The green tribunal, which found several environmental violations by the organisers, blamed the delay on the part of environmental activists in raising the issue before it which compelled it to grant permission for event.

Meanwhile, a source in DDA said it had not received any amount from AOL.

“Money has not been paid by the Art of Living Foundation... From our side, we cay say that we have not received any amount from AOL,” the source said.

The NGT which also slapped a fine of Rs 5 lakh on DDA, had earlier questioned the building up of a pontoon bridge by army on Yamuna for the festival and asked the DDA counsel as to who gave the permission for setting it up.

However, DDA had said it has no relation with the grant of permission for setting up the pontoon bridge and the DDA was only required to give no-objection certificate for the bridge.

A senior DDA official said, “The permission was granted as per the rules but AOL had not made clear the scale of its arrangements while seeking permission for the event.”

Environmental activist Anand Arya, who filed the petition to stop the event, rued that over 1,000-acres of the sensitive area between Delhi and Noida, predominantly marshland, stand shorn of even a “single blade” of grass.

Image: Workers erect scaffolding to build a stage at the venue of World Culture Festival on the banks of the river Yamuna in New Delhi. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters