NEW DELHI:  The Delhi government has told the country’s top environmental court that the Centre’s public works department or CPWD has expressed worry about the structural stability of a seven-acre stage being constructed for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s cultural fest planned on the banks of the river Yamuna.

The CPWD, asked for an assessment by the Delhi Police, has suggested constructing a separate stage to seat Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the festival, the Delhi government’s lawyer told the National Green Tribunal or NGT, which is expected to deliver its verdict today on whether the festival should be allowed this weekend.

PM Modi was due to attend the festival’s opening on Friday, but it is not clear whether he will do so after the event has sparked much controversy and criticism. The PM’s security team has reported the venue as unsafe for him.

At the NGT hearing, sources said, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Art of Living or AOL was unable to provide a satisfactory answer on whether a structural engineer has certified the stage as safe.

Organisers said that they have used experts who have built stages for other large concerts and the government’s Make In India summits, which bring together large audiences of potential investors.

More than 35,000 musicians and dancers are scheduled to perform on the massive stage at the “World Culture Festival,” which will be spread across 1,000 acres on the river banks. “This here will have a symphony of 8,500, and these 20,000 performers on stage at any one time,” said Prasana Prabhu, a trustee of Ravi Shankar’s foundation.

Green groups accuse organisers of ripping up vegetation and ruining the river’s fragile ecosystem by damaging its bed and disrupting water flows. They want authorities to cancel the event before more harm is done.

Experts who assessed the venue on behalf of the green court have recommended the Art of Living Foundation be fined 100 crores to restore the land.

After Opposition leaders in Parliament have joined a chorus of criticism against the festival, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tweeted: