‘Art of Living event didn’t alter Yamuna soil’

NEW DELHI: A committee comprising Delhi and UP government officials has submitted to the National Green Tribunal ( NGT) that there was no compaction of soil on the Yamuna floodplain site where Art of Living (

AOL

) had organised its three-day World Cultural Festival (WCF) between March 11 and March 13, 2016.

The

report

contradicts an earlier assessment by a seven-member expert panel, which allegedly said the Yamuna floodplains were completely destroyed due to compaction and other building works for WCF. Earlier, a committee headed by Shashi Shekhar, secretary, ministry of water resources, had told the tribunal that restoration of Yamuna floodplains, “ravaged” due to AOL’s WCF last year, would cost about Rs 42.02 crore.

“The committee observes that the main event site—between DND flyway and the Barapullah drain (on the right bank of river Yamuna)—has been completely destroyed, not simply damaged. The ground is now totally levelled, compacted and hardened and is totally devoid of water bodies or depressions and almost completely devoid of any vegetation,” the committee had stated in its report.

The new panel, however, said the land where AOL’s function was held was found to be fully covered with grass and some saplings of tree species. “This kind of grass and natural regeneration of seedlings is not possible on compacted soil,” the panel said in its report submitted before a bench headed by NGT chairperson, Justice

Swatanter Kumar

.

It also submitted pictures of the site taken recently. “No significant size of the wetland or water body was noticed by the committee in the area used by AOL,” the report read.

Referring to Google Earth images taken before and after the event, the committee said that it could not locate any “heap of debris” on the site and it was evident that no “wetland or water body” could be seen on the site prior to the event.

The chief engineer (UP Irrigation) said this land was being used by farmers for raising agricultural crops prior to the event and at present, the site was being used for the same purpose.

“No compaction of soil was seen in the area as many portions were ploughed out where soil was very loose and very healthy crop was standing on the ground. This is only possible if the soil is loose, which can support the crop,” the committee said. “The committee also inspected the areas on the eastern bank, which are under the control of the UP government. This site, as informed by the chief engineer, was used for parking of vehicles on 15-hectare land permitted by them to AOL temporarily for the event.”

NGT will again hear the matter on August 4.