The Hindu : National : U.P. Govt. denies threat to Taj Mahal

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Saturday, May 17, 2008
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U.P. Govt. denies threat to Taj Mahal

Special Correspondent

“CCTVs very much working at the monument”

“Monitoring cameras not stolen”
Security of the Taj has been entrusted to the CISF

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Government on Friday denied reports that the closed-circuit TV system installed at the Taj Mahal complex in Agra had stopped functioning following theft of 51 closed-circuit cameras.

State Home Secretary Mahesh Gupta told newspersons here that the system installed at the Taj is very much in order and the CCTVs are functional. “There is no threat to the security of the Taj Mahal,” he said.

The security of the Taj has been entrusted to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

Mr. Gupta said the reports about the theft of the CCTVs and the impending threat to the “monument of love” was the fall-out of an internal matter of the CISF. He said some CCTVs were stolen in 2005 for which a CISF officer was charge-sheeted.

Mr. Gupta said ADG (Security) Atul reviewed the security situation in Agra on Thursday. “Mr. Atul is in Mathura today on a similar mission,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Lucknow “connection” with the Jaipur serial bomb blasts this past Tuesday reportedly surfaced on Friday when the local police detained a person for questioning in the Hussainganj area of Lucknow. This followed the recovery of a visiting card of one Afzal by the security personnel from a vehicle in Jaipur. The card mentioned the Lucknow address of the card holder. Police sources said investigations found that the person was as a tenant in the Hussainganj area and used to sell shawls. He left Lucknow about two years back, sources said. His landlord is reportedly being questioned by the police.

Senior officials, however, remained tight-lipped. The Home Secretary refused to comment on the issue and said till something crystallises nothing can be said.

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