Shashi Shekhar Committee Report on the World Culture Festival to be held on Yamuna floodplains, March 11-13, 2016
An expert committee appointed by National Green Tribunal (NGT) has recommended fining spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation Rs 120 crore for damage to Yamuna floodplains while making preparations to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s “World Culture Festival” from March 11 to 13, 2016 on banks of the river.
Report of the Committee named by the National Green Tribunal for visiting the site of the World Culture Festival in the matter of OA No. 76 of 2016 (M.A. No. 144 of 2016). In accordance with the order of National Green Tribunal (NGT) dated 19/02/2016 a team lead by Shashi Shekhar, Chairman, Principal Committee appointed by the NGT, along with the experts namely, Prof. A. K. Gosain of IIT Delhi, Prof. C. R. Babu of Delhi University, Prof. Brij Gopal (Jaipur) and senior officials of DDA and Irrigation & Flood Control Department of GNCTD visited the site near DND Flyover where World Culture Festival is proposed to be organised by Art of Living Foundation during 11 to 13 March 2016.
The Committe observed that the entire area of the flood plain between the river and the DND flyover has been levelled flat. The small water bodies that existed earlier have been filled up and all the natural vegetation has been removed and the site has been compacted.