The Army's role - it has been used to construct temporary bridges over the river- has also been questioned.
Highlights
- Court to Environment Ministry: Any steps taken to avoid damage to Yamuna?
- Sri Sri's foundation asked to clarify how many people expected at event
- Delhi government told court no police nod, fire clearance taken for event
With just two days to go before his heavily-advertised mega-festival is to begin in Delhi, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is not the only one confronting the displeasure of India's top environmental court.
The Union Environment Ministry was asked by the court on Tuesday to explain whether it had taken any steps to prevent damage to the fragile ecosystem of the venue - the banks of the River Yamuna in Delhi. "Protecting the river is your prime responsibility," the judges said at the National Green Tribunal. The ministry will deliver its response on Wednesday.
The Delhi government on Tuesday said that neither fire safety clearances nor police permission have been sanctioned so far for the event.
The court has been asked to cancel the three-day World Peace Festival which will include lectures and mass meditation sessions by activists Anand Arya and Manoj Mishra who warn of irreversible environmental damage, a claim denounced by Sri Sri.
Amid the surging controversy, President Pranab Mukherjee, who had agreed to attend the event along with other VVIPs like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has cancelled.
Sri Sri's Art of Living Foundation will explain in court on Wednesday 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 Rs 35 lakh, while the organizers at Tuesday's hearing suggested about two lakh people will be present at any given time.
The Army's role - it has been used to construct temporary bridges over the river - has also been questioned. The Delhi government said in court on Tuesday that "pontoon (or floating) bridges are sanctioned only if there is a flood alert.
The Delhi Pollution Committee 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.