Tribunal Has Not Given a Clear Chit to Sri Sri, Damage Huge: Jha

NEW DELHI: As the National Green Tribunal cleared the three-day cultural event of Art of Living on the floodplains of the Yamuna river, Vimlendu Jha -- who leads the public campaign that helped the issue come to light -- points out that the clearance is not exactly a victory for the organisers of the festival.

“The entire NGT judgement implicates the three parties involved -- the Art of Living, the Delhi government, and the central government,” Jha tells The Citizen. Adding that although it’s not entirely appropriate to comment on the order, Jha notes that “even if permission has been given, it’s conditional. It states that all necessary permissions for the festival are to be procured within a day, in addition to imposing a penalty for the damage caused”

The NGT imposed a fine of Rs. 5 crore as an interim amount. “It’s important to note that Rs. 5 crore is the interim amount and not the final amount,” says Jha. “The principal committee is still to decide on the final amount, and has said that the damage done till February 20th amounts to Rs. 120 crore. As such, any final amount will be Rs. 120 crore plus.”

At the time of writing, controversy has surfaced around the paying of the interim amount, as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who heads the Art of Living foundation, said that he would rather go to jail than pay the interim amount. The NGT has given Art of Living till 4 PM Thursday to deposit the said amount. The tribunal has also fined the DDA, Rs 5 lakh and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) Rs 1 lakh for not discharging statutory functions.

Additionally, the tribunal asked Art of Living to give an undertaking that enzymes will not be released into Yamuna river and a guarantee that no further degradation of environment will occur.

The tribunal, therefore, is clear in its verdict that environmental degradation has already occurred. “The first thing we need to understand,” reiterates Jha, “is that all three parties have been implicated. There are two components to the environmental importance of the Yamuna river. One, the water recharge plain, which is composed of surface and underground water recharge. This is the main water resource in Delhi. Two, the ecology and biodiversity of the Yamuna depends on its long term growth. The river has its own ecology, the growth of which is an organic process. The entire area used to be a marshland, with several waterbodies.”

In reference to the thousand or so acres of land where the event is to take place, Jha says, “I have evidence of how concrete was dumped on the land to create space for people to sit. The land has been levelled with concrete, trees have been cut; the report even notes that vegetation in that area has been wiped out. In addition to vegetation, species also depend on that ecosystem. Delhi is the number two bird sanctuary in the world, with the Okhla bird sanctuary just a few kilometres away from the Yamuna. This is breeding time for most of the birds. The ecological loss is massive -- vegetation, biodiversity, water, have all been affected.”



When asked about the photos being shown by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to prove that the area was already damaged, Jha makes a relevant point. “Nobody is saying that the Yamuna is not a polluted river, but that doesn’t mean we should destroy it further.” “Who is he [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar] fooling when he says that 35 lakh people are going to come and this will not impact the ecology of the river?” Jha asks. “Just showing a few pictures of concrete from earlier -- which is indicative of the bad governance that has plagued the Yamuna -- doesn’t give him, or anyone, the right to damage it more.”

Given the NGT’s hard hitting statements on the damage caused to the Yamuna and the implication of the parties involved, Jha considers the report a partial victory. “Yes we got Art of Living booked for its crime against Delhi's Yamuna, indeed the event might happen if they get the permissions in a day (which speaks volumes of the clout they have!),” he says.

However, it is the Delhi government that Jha is most disappointed with. “When he [Arvind Kejriwal] tweeted last evening calling this controversy unnecessary and welcoming Art of Living, he conveniently forgot that HE was implicated by NGT too for failing to fulfill his public duty, that departments of Delhi govt connived with AOL to allow them to destroy Delhi's only water source, Yamuna,” Jha also posted on Facebook.