Indian guru refuses to pay fine for festival that threatens ecosystem

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

Indian guru refuses to pay fine for festival that threatens ecosystem


Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who pledges to clean Yamuna riverbank after World Culture event, vows to challenge penalty


Indian guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Art of Living Foundation. Photograph: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty
Associated Press in Delhi

Thursday 10 March 201609.31 GMTLast modified on Thursday 10 March 201609.35 GMT

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India’s environmental watchdog has fined a group led by a Hindu guru 50m rupees (£520,000) for constructing features that altered the topography and flow of aDelhiriver before a cultural festival this weekend.

The National Green Tribunal ruled it would allow the Art of Living Foundation to hold the World Culture festival on payment of the fine, which the group’s leader refused.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who founded the group in 1982, said he would challenge the order in an appeals court. “We have done nothing wrong. I will go to jail but not pay the fine,” he said, adding that the foundation would clean the riverbank after the festival.

The tribunal issued the verdict on Wednesday in response to petitions filed by environmentalists who say the roads, ramps and pontoon bridges could cause irreversible damage to the Yamuna floodplains.


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Construction work gets under way on the banks of the Yamuna in New Delhi. Photograph: Money Sharma/AFP/Getty Images
The prime minister, Narendra Modi, is scheduled to inaugurate the festival on Friday, but the president’s office said Pranab Mukherjee would not attend the closing ceremony on Sunday. The festival is expected to be attended by millions and will showcase performances by thousands of musicians and dancers.

The river Yamuna is a tributary of the Ganges that swells during the monsoon. Hindus bathe in the river during religious festivals, but not many people swim there.

The Yamuna looks dark with a foul smell, and officials say it is tainted with sewage and industrial pollution. The water is chemically treated before being supplied to Delhi’s nearly 18 million residents as drinking water.

Art of Living organised a similar festival in Berlin in 2011.


Indian guru refuses to pay fine for festival that threatens ecosystem | World news | The Guardian

 

[Shankranthi]

I totally admire his stand and him for standing up to injustice. Let him stand for his principles.

But I guess the only "true hero" is kanaiyah kumar.

 

[Shankranthi]

EXCLUSIVE: Ulterior motives behind protest against Yamuna event, says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar : India, News - India Today

"Let me make it very clear that we will never do anything which will damage the environment. When we got the permission to host the event at that place (Yamuna riverbed)... it was already damaged. There was filth around the area...we have not cut a single tree. We will not accept it (the fine), we will contest it in the Supreme Court," Sri Sri said.

A day after the National Green Tribunal slapped a fine of Rs 5 crore on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living foundation over damages to the environment for the controversial World Culture Festival to be held on the banks of Yamuna in New Delhi, the spiritual guru came out in defense of the mega event.

In an exclusive interview with India Today's Managing Editor Rahul Kanwal, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar spoke strongly against those criticising the three-day culture fest. Sri Sri insisted that the AoL will never do anything that will harm the environment and said that he will appeal against the Rs 500 crore fine in the Supreme Court.

"Let me make it very clear that we will never do anything which will damage the environment. When we got the permission to host the event at that place (Yamuna riverbed)... it was already damaged. There was filth around the area...we have not cut a single tree. We will not accept it (the fine), we will contest it in the Supreme Court," Sri Sri said.


"We have taken all the necessary permissions. We started preparations for the event only having the green signal for it. We would have shifted the venue had there been any opposition to it 5-6 months back. But it all started when the stage has come up," he added.

Why Yamuna?

Reiterating that the event will not damage the Yamuna plains, Sri Sri said that the river bed was selected as the venue as no stadium or auditorium has the capacity to host such a mega event.

"We will assure that the place will be as clean, as bio-diverse as it was before. In 2010, we launched a campaing 'meri Dilli, meri Yamuna', to clean the river. We removed tonnes of filth from the river. We have so much passion for Yamuna, how could anybody think we could damage the river?" he said

"37,000 artists are going to perform, lakhs of people are going to attend. Which closed auditorium can host such a huge event?" Sri Sri asked.

"I see ulterior motives"

"I just have one question for those making hullaballoo over the event. Why are you not concerned about the environment at Batla House? Commonwealth Games village was also built ... two wrongs can't make one thing right but what I am saying is that there is some motive behind this sudden protest against the event. Some ulterior motives...," Sri Sri said.

"Don't politicise the event"

Responding to the charge by the Opposition parties that the government went out of its way to grant permission for the World Culture Festival, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, "I request them not to politicise this. We haven't taken any favours. This is an event of very big magnitude. It is bigger that FIFA, World Cup ..."

"PM Modi to attend the event"

Some reports said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not attend the event starting March 11 but Sri Sri confirmed that the PM will certainly be inaugurating World Culture Festival. Earlier this week, President Pranab Mukherjee pulled out of the event without giving any specific reason for it.

"The President cannot attend the function due to unavoidable circumstances," an official of the Rashtrapati Bhavan had said.

 

[Parul]

Indian Guru, JNU, Rohith Vemula, Dogs in Mumbai & all other local news on PDF...

 

[Shankranthi]

Indian Guru, JNU, Rohith Vemula, Dogs in Mumbai & all other local news on PDF...

Attack on the event by Sri sri Ravi shankar is a serious matter and needs to be debated openly and fairly.

This is not the first attack on Indian spiritual leaders and it certainly won't be the last. I see no reason why this has to be brushed under the carpet.