SC seeks details, Taj off-limits

A Festival to mark 350 years of the Taj Mahal, beginning today, ran into rough weather as the Supreme Court said it could not permit the Utt...

A Festival to mark 350 years of the Taj Mahal, beginning today, ran into rough weather as the Supreme Court said it could not permit the Uttar Pradesh government to go ahead with the celebrations near the monument without the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the security agencies giving proper clearance.

A bench comprising Justice Ruma Pal, Justice S B Sinha and Justice S H Kapadia criticised the state for coming to the Supreme Court without any details on the security arrangements for the programmes, or on the possible environmental impact on the World Heritage monument and its surroundings.

The state’s application seeking permission to allow night-viewing of the Taj during the six-month period for which festivities were planned also met a similar fate. The court has now posted the two applications for hearing on October 5.

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However, the Uttar Pradesh government went ahead and inaugurated the Taj Mahotsav at the Agra Fort today. Tourism Minister Kokab Hamid told PTI they had already sought the permission of the ASI for this. As a result, the inauguration of the festival remained an entirely state government affair, with Uttar Pradesh Governor T V Rajeshwar and Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav presiding.

A kite festival was also organised on the banks of the Yamuna, with the Taj as the backdrop. Hamid kickstarted the celebrations by setting free pigeons and releasing balloons in the air.

‘‘The next function is slated for October 28 on the banks of the Yamuma, followed by programmes at Sikandara and Itamadullah, which are at a distance from the Taj,’’ Hamid added. For programmes around these and other monuments—to be organised by the state government and the Union Ministries of Culture and Tourism—the ASI’s permission has already been obtained.

Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had sought permission from the SC ‘‘to organise cultural programmes to celebrate the completion of 350 years of the Taj Mahal, on the banks of river Yamuna behind the Taj Mahal and adjacent to Mehtab Bagh, on and around full moon nights in the coming six months, commencing September 27’’.

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The bench today issued notices to the Centre and ASI, and asked the counsel representing the Union Environment Ministry to talk to the Home Ministry about the security aspect of opening the monument during nights as it had recently talked about terrorist threat to the Taj.

Amicus curiae Krishan Mahajan said the Uttar Pradesh government had come to the court at the last minute, without conducting any environmental impact assessment or submitting any site plan. The state government’s details about the arrangements, though elaborate, were found to be ‘‘very, very vague’’.

The bench also felt there was definitely threat of theft and damage to the monument at night, and it could not pass orders permitting night-viewing without satisfying itself on all possible angles of the matter.