Sri Sri’s World Culture Festival: Warning of ‘utter chaos’, Delhi Police rings alarm bells on safety of stage for PM, VIPs
Work in full swing at the site of the World Cultural Festival 2016 along the Yamuna flood plains on Monday. Express photo by Oinam Anand. 07 March 2016The Delhi Police has warned of “stampede”, “pandemonium” and “utter chaos” unless shortcomings in the arena for the World Culture Festival, being organised by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living Foundation on the Yamuna floodplains, are attended to immediately.
In a letter to the Ministry of Urban Development after an inspection of the venue, along with the organisers, on March 1, police redflagged the “shortcomings”, saying the stage, where the Prime Minister and several VVIPs are to be seated, lacks a structural stability certificate, a prerequisite for any such gathering.
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It warned of the possibility of “pandemonium which is bound to result in utter chaos leading to total breakdown of law and order”.
The Central Public Works Department, Delhi government and Delhi Development Authority — the DDA granted permission for the event — have refused to give the festival stage the mandatory structural stability certificate, police wrote to the Ministry.
