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Journalism of Courage
The National Green Tribunal Friday directed the Delhi Development Authority to submit an action plan within a week on restoration of the Yamuna floodplains — where the World Culture Festival was held last year. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living (AOL) Foundation held the festival over three days in March, 2016.
An NGT-appointed expert committee, set up to assess the damage caused to the floodplains as a result of the festival, had said it would cost over Rs 42 crore to restore the area. On Friday, a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the DDA to nominate a “very senior officer” as a member of the committee, along with one chief engineer each from the irrigation departments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
“This committee shall submit an action plan to the tribunal with respect to the floodplains of the Yamuna where AOL’s event was held in March 2016,” the bench noted.The green tribunal also directed the committee to consult and refer to the findings of the expert panel. Advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for petitioner Manoj Misra, sought urgent directions from the bench since the monsoon had already arrived.
Stating that he welcomed the NGT’s directions, Parikh told The Indian Express, “Work on restoration of the floodplains has to start. The action plan is a step forward to provide a monetary assessment of the damages caused.”
However, AOL’s advocate Nikhil Sakhardande, opposed the submission and said no direction was required at this stage since the matter was partly heard, and that hearing in the main case was still ongoing. “There is no damage so there is no need for any action plan,” Sakhardande told The Indian Express.
(With PTI inputs)
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