AoL challenges NGT panel on Yamuna floodplains, questions capabilities

The Art of Living (AoL) foundation on Monday snubbed as unscientific the NGT expert committee's report on the damage caused to the Yamuna floodplains due to its mega fest last year.

The Aol, appearing before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), also claimed that prior to the World Culture Festival, which saw over three million attendees, the flood region was not demarcated.

The AoL questioned the findings of the committee and said quantification related to the restoration and rehabilitation of the floodplains was beyond the capabilities of the committee.

"Rehabilitation and restoration are synonyms... To tell about restoration and rehabilitation of the floodplains is beyond the power of the expert committee," AoL representatives told the Tribunal bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar.

However, the Tribunal was quick to correct AoL, asserting that "restoration is an inclusive term under rehabilitation and they are not synonyms".

A seven-member expert committee headed by former Water Resources Ministry Secretary Shashi Shekhar on April 12 reported that it would take Rs 42.02 crore to monitor and a decade's time for the ecological rehabilitation of the Yamuna floodplains from damages caused by the festival.

The cultural event was held from March 11 to 13, 2016, on the left bank of the river between the Barapullah elevated road and the DND flyway.

Earlier in March, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) which granted permission for the fest, informed the Tribunal that it did not have the expertise to repair the damage caused to the Yamuna floodplains during the fest and also apologised for questioning the court's findings in the case.

AoL founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had also earlier commented that the authorities should have never given permission to hold the World Culture Festival if the Yamuna was "so fragile and pure".

On Monday, however, the AoL's lawyers spoke at length and rejected the findings of the expert committee.

"The report didn't produce any technical or scientific data," said AoL.

It further raised questions over the satellite images of the floodplains used in the report, saying that many Google images project a different picture of the region.

The Tribunal bench has said that two more days shall be granted to AoL to make its points.

The matter has been listed for July 12 and 13.

--IANS

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