The Delhi Police has raised serious security concerns over the World Culture Festival being organised by the Art of Living foundation on the Yamuna floodplains.
A DCP rank officer, who inspected the venue on March 1 along with his team, in a report submitted to the Ministry of Urban Development, Art of Living, Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung and Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma raised serious question about the preparation and safety arrangements.
The report said that only one pontoon bridge is being prepared as opposed to seven, as proposed earlier, and the work on second bridge was still on. A pontoon bridge can at best be used by 15, 000 people in an hour, but the number of people expected to turn up for the event is around 2.5 to three lakh people, the report added.
The report pointed out the absence of wire meshing on pontoon bridge, which is a key to prevent the people from falling in the event of a stampede.
The report raised questions about inadequate parking arrangements and the uneven road leading to the parking bay.
The report questions ‘structural stability’ of the main stage while stating that no structural stability certificate was given to the organizers by either the CPWD or the DDA.
The report also raises serious concerns about the security arrangements near the main stage, where the VVIPS, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would be seated.
Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) will today continue to hear the plea seeking to stop construction of temporary structure on the Yamuna floodplains for the event.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swantanter Kumar had yesterday asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests to file an affidavit today and tell why no environmental clearance is needed for raising temporary structures.
Earlier, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar had defended the event, saying not a single tree has been cut and the ecological stability has been maintained during the preparations.
The World Culture Festival is scheduled to be held from March 11 to 13.
According to reports the event will feature yoga and meditation sessions, peace prayers and traditional cultural performances from around the world.
