New Delhi: A day after President Pranab Mukherjee announced that he will not attend the World Culture Festival to be organised by spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday is expected to decide the fate of Art of Living foundation's event planned on Yamuna floods plains.
Several NGOs and environmental activists have moved the NGT against the festival saying it will cause irreparable damage to the Yamuna ecosystem.
The three-day event will be held on the floodplains of the Yamuna river near DND toll bridge and massive construction is underway for the festival starting March 11.
The event, being held on the 35th anniversary of the Art of Living foundation.
The programme that is expected to be attended by 35 lakh people from 155 countries.
Earlier, reacting to the allegations of causing damage to the environment for 'World Culture Festival' event on Yamuna flood plains, Sri Sri Ravi had said, it is the joke of the year when people say that his organisation is polluting the Yamuna river.
The noted spiritual guru said, "The Art of Living should be lauded and rewarded for even choosing such a polluted place for a prestigious international event.”
While stressing that they will not cause any harm to the river, the spiritual guru said, “It takes enormous courage and commitment to ready a place where once, one could not even breathe due to the stink.”
