Reconstitute panel for inspection of floodplain: AOL to NGT

Art of Living (AOL) Foundation today moved the National Green Tribunal challenging the appointment of an expert committee for inspection of site on Yamuna floodplains where a three-day World Cultural Festival was organised by it under Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's patronage.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, which had ordered the Expert Committee to assess the damage caused to Yamuna floodplains due to the festival, sought response of the other parties on AOL's plea.
The tribunal, however, said it would consider tomorrow AOL's prayer for assessing of site by another independent body like National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

"What is your problem? You keep on filing applications. How can you raise fingers, these persons in Expert Committee are highly qualified... What is the status of inspection? Has the committee inspected the site? Tell us tomorrow," the bench said.
On May 25, an expert committee comprising C R Babu, A K Gosain and Brij Gopal was directed by NGT to inspect the site and assess the damage allegedly caused to the floodplains of Yamuna due to the activities of the foundation.
AOL has sought reconstitution of an "independent" and an "unbiased" expert committee to examine the alleged impact of the World Culture Festival on the Yamuna floodplains.

AOL has challenged the appointment on the ground that the expert committee has pre-judged and pre-meditated the issue and has already come to a finding adverse to the foundation as it has already concluded that there is a damage caused to the floodplains of Yamuna due to its activities.

"As a result, the expert committee has lost its objectivity and cannot be now considered as an open minded, neutral committee - it having already pre-judged the issue against Respondent No 3 (AOL)," the plea said.
On March 9, the green panel had cleared the decks for the three-day cultural extravaganza of AOL but had imposed a fine of Rs 5 crore on it as environmental compensation.

It had slapped fine of Rs five lakh on Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Rs one lakh on the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) for not discharging statutory functions.
The tribunal's order had come on the pleas by NGOs and environmentalists who had sought cancellation of the festival on the ground that it would seriously endanger the fragile ecosystem on the riverbed.