New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s controversial three-day World Culture Festival, scheduled to take place on Friday on the banks of Yamuna river. A government press statement confirmed the development asking the media to report two hours before the arrival of PM Modi.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Foundation to pay Rs 5 crores fine for environmental damage to the ecologically-sensitive banks of the river. However, the NGT gave a go ahead to the World Culture Festival.
The Foundation has been asked to pay the fine by Friday and if it fails to do so, the law will take its course, it said. Sri Sri had said on Thursday that he will not pay the fine as he had not done anything wrong, adding, he was ready to go to jail.
The NGT had pulled down the foundation, DDA and the environment ministry over the event. President Pranab Mukherjee had turned down the Sri Sri’s invitation and the Delhi High Court had described the event as a "disaster" from the ecological point of view.
