Impact: Delhi fest in deep waters

DEEP WATERS: The panel looking into encroachments on Yamuna has issued a notice to Delhi Tourism for violation of laws.

    

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Keywords: Global Village, Yamuna River

New Delhi: The artificial shopping paradise, Global Village which has been built on the banks of the River Yamuna in Delhi may run into rough waters.

The Convenor of Usha Mehra Committee looking into encroachments on Yamuna has issued a notice to Delhi Tourism for violation of environmental laws.

"This Global Village is going to be the end of this river," Convenor of Yamuna Jiya Abhiyan, Manoj Misra had told CNN-IBN.

The CNN-IBN Special Investigation Team had first reported that the shopping arcade may have permanently damaged the floodplains of the river and could now affect the water supply into Delhi.

Inspired by the Dubai Shopping Festival, experts like Misra opine the month-long Global Village - that spreads across 20 acres - could have sounded the deathknell for the already-dying river.

Satellite images available with CNN-IBN clearly show the damage to the Yamuna floodplains. “These floodplains act as a sponge and recharge the ground water,” says Misra.

It’s ironic that the riverbed was recently cleared of slums rendering thousands homeless. But for the Global Village owners, permissions were not even necessary.

"We are going to have belly dancers, it's a month long festival, public is going to have a lot of fun. There will be a spectacular display of fireworks and a carnival every night where you'll find Brazilian Samba, Russian, Ballet troupe and Egyptian belly dancers shaking a leg with Bhangra and Dandiya dancers," the owner of Global Village, Sunil Bhatia, had said.

The law prohibits encroachments within 300 metres of the Yamuna.

But the Global Village is located on the river bank, a 'Critically Polluted Area' as notified by the Central Pollution Control Board. It’s also less than one km from the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, making environment clearances mandatory.

The Yamuna riverbed is also crucial in recharging Delhi's ground water supply, saving Rs six crore annually for Delhi government.

So who is to blame – the Delhi government or the Noida Tollbridge Private Limited who are the partners in the venture?

In addition to the environmental violations, the setup also comes in direct contravention of a Delhi High Court order.

It’s to be seen as to who survives the environment versus commercialism battle.