Construct park near Yamuna from amount depostied by Art of Living: NGT

The NGT had earlier slapped an interim fine Rs 5 crore on the AOL for environmental damage while efforts were made to ascertain the exact costs of the damage.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to construct a biodiversity park near the river Yamuna with the amount deposited by the Art of Living as the fine for damaging Yamuna floodplains.

The NGT had earlier slapped an interim fine Rs 5 crore on the AOL for environmental damage while efforts were made to ascertain the exact costs of the damage.

AOL's World Culture Festival, which was held in Delhi on the bank on Yamuna river, had grabbed headlines for allegedly polluting and damaging the Yamuna floodplain ecosystem.

Reports say that more amount could be taken from the AOL if five crores fall short.

The Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had said that the Centre, Delhi government and the National Green Tribunal should be held responsible for allowing his foundation to organise the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplains in March 2016.

AoL had contended that the event site was not an identified floodplain even after NGT's 2015 direction to the authorities to demarcate the floodplain, and hence it cannot even be considered a floodplain.

The AoL's contention came in the backdrop of an expert committee earlier telling the NGT that a whopping Rs 42.02 crore would be required to restore Yamuna floodplains which were ravaged due to the AoL cultural extravaganza.

AoL told the bench that the contention of the committee that compaction has been caused by the World Culture Festival organised by it was "erroneous and untenable" as the panel has not conducted any scientific test or geotechnical investigation of the soil density of the land.

OneIndia News