Protecting the Taj Mahal means taking care of everything around the mausoleum commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in 1632, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
A three-judge Bench, led by Justice Madan B. Lokur, said the monument is only the “centre piece.” The forest cover, the river Yamuna and the grounds of the Taj Mahal should also be saved from pollution. “Remember, once the Taj Mahal goes, there is no second chance,” Justice Lokur told the Uttar Pradesh government.
The Bench said the Vision Document for the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) should examine and end the proliferation of hazardous industries, foundries, seepage and emissions which are slowly but steadily destroying the Taj Mahal and the protective cover around it.
In its 1996 judgment, the Supreme Court had noted that the Taj Mahal was not threatened by only traditional causes of decay, but also social and economic conditions. Industrial emissions, brick kilns, vehicular traffic and generator-sets polluted air around the TTZ. The monument itself was slowly turning yellow from the collected grime. “Have the directions in the 1996 judgment been complied with? The judgment had zeroed in on 511 industries then. Is it still 511 or has it climbed to 600 or 700. What does your vision document say?” Justice Lokur asked.
Prof. Meenakshi Dhote, an environmental studies expert from the School of Planning and Architecture commissioned by the Uttar Pradesh government, informed the court that a survey was on. Ms. Dhote, however, said the State government had given a list of industries but later withdrew it, saying it was “incorrect” and required to be modified. Ms. Dhote said the area of forest cover is just six percent.
