On World Tourism Day, Taj city Agra a story of neglect

By Brij Khandelwal 
 

Agra, Sep 27, 2012 (IANS) On World Tourism Day Thursday, Taj city Agra has little to celebrate in spite of being a favourite tourist destination. This is because of the total lack of forward planning, industry stakeholders say.

"There is neither the will nor any major policy push being contemplated by the state government, which had made many promises at the time of elections. The UP tourism department looks hardly prepared to create the kind of ambience required to encash the boom in the industry," said Shishir Bhagat, president of Wake Up Agra, an NGO working on different issues that people in the city face.

Tourism organisations in Agra Thursday organised the ritual welcome of tourists at the railway station and at different hotels. But there was little else to commemorate the day and no sign of activity to make the city any more "tourist-friendly".

Agra is one of India's top tourist destinations. Yet, it lacks basic infrastructure, and thus cannot take advantage of the interest generated in India and its tourist attractions, said Surendra Sharma, founder-president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association.

"The (previous) Mayawati government did nothing, and we had great hopes from the young Akhilesh Yadav (the present chief minister)," Sharma said, talking of how successive chief ministers have let the city down.

"We thought the scenario would change for the better, we expected some action on our long list of demands. So far, however, there is nothing to indicate that the state government is treating Agra as a priority," Sharma lamented.

Rakesh Chauhan and Sandeep Arora, leaders in the tourism and hospitality industry in the city, said that there was a lack of vision and of will, in the political leadership of the state.

"Even with three world heritage monuments, Agra has not been able to significantly increase the number of visitors; and those who visit often make brief trips. Neither the state nor the central government seems interested in promoting Agra. The Yamuna Expressway has made it easier for tourists to return the same day, to Delhi. The hotel industry in Agra has little to look forward to in the next tourist season," Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotels and Restuarants Association, told IANS.

The president of the Federation of Travel Agents of India, Rajiv Tiwari, said: "Yes, we welcomed foreign tourists in the morning. Right now, we are taking some students on a Sadbhavna Yatra from Agra Fort. But these activities are hardly enough to sustain tourism, which needs big initiatives. The outlook for the coming season is bleak, with the slowdown in Europe. The situation now is no different from 1982, when we had presented a memorandum to the central government."

"What could be more amazing than the fact that there are no flights and no air connectivity with Agra? Our demand for a decent civil airport in Agra has been cold storaged. We had asked for the extension of the Metro rail to Agra. Even this was not granted. All our leaders do is grab land and make money," said a frustrated Chauhan, who pointed out that smaller cities like Mysore had an airport and were more easily accessible to tourists.

The Akhilesh Yadav government has not reduced the luxury tax, as was promised. There has yet been no announcement of reduction in Value Added Tax for airline fuel at the Kheria airport as was announced by the chief minister a few months ago. The UP tourism department has still to evolve a tourism policy for the state. Agra gets a lot of money from various agencies, but where it goes no one knows. There should be a proper mechanism for monitoring, Chauhan said.

Tourism bodies have hardly done anything to promote lesser known monuments in and around Agra. "The result is that most tourists visit the Taj Mahal and return the same evening," said director of Agra University's Tourism Institute, Lav Kush Mishra, who wanted a comprehensive action plan for tourism development for the whole Braj region that includes Mathura, Vrindavan, Bateshwar, and several important sites of religious importance.

Ashok Jain, leading handicrafts exporter and owner of the Kalakriti auditorium which runs the 90-minute audio visual show "Mohabbat the Taj", told IANS: "We have to do a lot of work on the cultural promotion work, to make sure that tourists extend their stay in Agra. Only then will the city gain from tourism."

In all this, there was a glimmer of hope.

"There is hope, the season looks good, going by early trends. We should see a boom in tourist arrivals this year," Paritosh Ladani, the owner of the five-star Radisson Hotel, told IANS.

SAVE  TAJ MAHAL

BRAJ MANDAL HERITAGE CONSERVATION SOCIETY

Goverdhan Hotel, Delhi Gate, Agra-2

 

 

Protests and regrets that commercial organisations are without authority and morality using the pride of India, the UNESCO recognised Heritage brand TAJ MAHAL for crass commercial gains, building replicas or hotels, or selling chai ki patti,  without paying royalty to AGRA or compensating in any other way the expenses incurred on the upkeep and maintenance of the 17th century white marble marvel.

 

These organisations in pursuit of their commercial objectives are desecrating a holy mausoleum revered by millions of people who visit and offer prayers at the Taj Mahal along the bank of holy Yamuna river in Agra. To give you a perspective, the original layout and design of the Taj follows the details of the main features of Jannat (Heaven) and the "Aayats" from the Holy Quran are inscribed at the main entrance. The mosque on the eastern flank attracts thousands of faithfuls to offer prayers. A large number of people offer prayers and seek favours and mannats.

 

The hyped romantic love story is for consumption of the tourists, but historically the whole area around the Taj Mahal has been a site of religious significance. Emperor Shah Jahan himself is now looked as a friend of the Almighty and treated as a celebrated saint.

 

It is our concern that  a huge hotel is now being built in Dubai. This will be a copy of the Taj Mahal in Agra and offer all kinds of opportunities for carnal pleasures of the body from gambling zones to bars and related activities.

 

Can we permit holy places being desecrated like this?  If we do not arrest this trend tomorrow someone will  come up with fake Muslim shrines visited by the devouts for the Haj yatra or replicas of shrines of other faiths. Would that be tolerated?

 

Remember, the Taj Mahal is no ordinary monument. Its a spiritual and divine destination whose original design came from the Farishtas. Now every year we have the Urs of emperor Shah Jahan who has been recognised as a saint.

 

The Taj Mahal is Agra's pride and pehchaan. The Agra Municipal Corporation should be paid a royalty, if some commercial gain is made out of using the Taj as a brand name. The money thus collected could be spent on cleaning up the Yamuna river which is dying unfortunately.

 

We appeal to all sensible people to raise their voice and prevent mis-use of the brand Taj Mahal for petty commercial gains.

 

The UNESCO and the government of India should intervene and approach the international bodies for stopping this practice.

Construction boom chips away at Agra's heritage character
By Brij Khandelwal

 

Agra, April 27: The Taj Mahal, a 17th century architectural marvel in marble, was meticulously planned. But the same cannot be said for Agra, which is witnessing a construction spree that could dent its heritage character.

The medieval Mughal city, which historians in the 17th century described as being more beautiful and bigger than London and Paris, is getting transformed into a concrete jungle. The construction work is neither in tune with its historical importance nor compatible with the demands of a modern city.

"The city's development lacks focus. It does not reflect the heritage character. The new buildings lack facilities for parking, greenery or open space," environmentalist Ravi Singh, who is also a progressive farmer from the Barauli Ahir block, said.

Where once trees grew in abundance with 16 beautiful gardens in various parts of the city, now gaudy structures are coming up. The dozen- odd community ponds have disappeared while there is no trace of the dense green patches that were home to a wide range of fauna.

"The difference between commercial and residential use has been obliterated by the unimaginative town planners who are indifferent, ostrich-like, to the chaotic urban scenario," said Sudhir Gupta, a lawyer and a resident of Vijay Nagar Colony, the oldest organised settlement in Agra.

The river front along the Yamuna is a vast wasteland. The city is expanding in all directions.

The Ansals, Parsvnath, Omax, Jaipurias, Unitech, TDI, the Jaypee group and half a dozen others are all racing against time to complete a project or two before the Commonwealth Games in 2010 in Delhi, which are expected to bring a host of additional tourists to this city.

On Fatehabad Road, the tourist complex of Agra, half a dozen hotel projects are at various levels of completion.

The Taj Express Highway project opened up another avenue all the way till Greater Noida for feverish construction and land acquisition. The 160-km super highway will reduce travelling time between Delhi and Agra by a good one hour.

In the past couple of years, heavy investment in the construction sector has added to the pressure on civic amenities.

Residents in most high-rise buildings now complain of inadequate facilities. Builders often violate well laid out norms on parking space, sewer connections and power supply.

"Most high-rise buildings have neither sewer connections nor treatment plants. All the waste is being dumped underground, poisoning our precious resources," said Singh.

The apex court has a petition pending on why the city of the Taj Mahal cannot be granted heritage status.

S. Varadarajan, who headed a Supreme Court appointed high-powered committee to examine and suggest measures to tackle the pollution problem in the Taj Trapezium, recommended a ban on high-rise structures within 10 km of the Taj.

Earlier, city improvement trusts used to be under the control of democratically elected local bodies. But the Agra Municipal Corporation has no say in policy matters.

The Agra Development Authority's (ADA) lacklustre performance on the development front has now raised questions about the relevance of this body.

"A group of bureaucrats now decide which way the city should develop," said Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

"The mayor and 90-odd elected municipal corporators have no power to control or influence decisions taken by the ADA, which is headed by people who have no roots or understanding of the city and no stakes in its future." ENDS

HOTEL ARCHITECTURE IN AGRA
2009 OCTOBER

AGRA   HOTELS   PROMOTE  

ARCHITECTURAL   EXPERIMENTATION

HERITAGE TOUCH TO PROPERTIES

AGRA:

Some of the most beautiful buildings in Agra belong to the big hotels which in the past few years have become the new hubs of developmental activity. The hotel properties are not only compatible with the heritage status of the city but have also contributed to further the process of experimentation in modern architecture.

Oberoi’s Amar Vilas, walking distance from the Taj Mahal is a classic, remniscent of Kubla Khan’s famed Xanadu, if looked from a distance. The sheer architectural fantasy expressed through rounded domes, stone work, the jalis, the rich texture, spacious walkways, takes one’s breath away.

Mughal Sheraton in the neighbourhood stands out for its unique layout and designing. The hotel in fact won the covetous Aga Khan Award for its architectural grandeur. True to its name the property carries forward the Mughal architectural traditions while incorporating modern features. The lush green lawns and the well maintained gardens so meticulously planned by Kanwaljeet Singh offer tourists the luxury of getting lost in the wilderness all by himself. The exterior of the Mughal Sheraton is misleading. Once you enter the lobby the grandness of the edifice takes several moments to sink in you.

Another hotel property on the Fatehabad road that has made a mark with its functional yet imposing design belongs to the Jaypee group. Hotel Jaypee is both a palace and a fort. The lavish use of red sandstone to create a medieval ambience with arches and columns, half a dozen conference halls equipped with modern gadgets, a variety of restaurants and swimming pools with no constraint of space remind you of the royal opulence during the Mughal period. The serene environment, cascading fountains, laid out amidst acres of green land, are indeed a delight for the tourists.

Hotel Heritage that was opened last year in the Imperial premises has also drawn attention for its architectural grandeur. Combining the best features of the Western and the Mughal designs, the hotel property retains the charm of the era gone by.

Another hotel close by holds the distinction of being one of the oldest in Agra. The Lauries hotel, now not so popular, yet the architectural features impress you. The Gothic style pillars, the high ceilings, the thick walls and the dimensions of the rooms take you back to the feudal era, according to Swatantra Bhagat who feels Hotel Clark Shiraz, Agra’s oldest five star property, is yet another modern architectural showpiece, combining comfort with functionality. The building though not so impressive to look at from outside, yet its interiors and designing are noteworthy, adds Swatantra Bhagat, an expert in interior décor.

Hotel Taj View on Fathehabad road stands tall and majestic inviting tourists to its plush ambience. A little short on open space, the five star hotel is described as one of the most elegantly planned structures in the city.

Within the city, it is the Holiday Inn in the Sanjay Place commercial complex, that has harmoniously blended Mughal traditions with modern designing features. “Even with all these experiments and forays it is the good old Mayur Tourist Complex, the vision of Deokinandan Vibhav, that continues to attract notice not so much for its architectural grandeur but for its lush green lawns and the openness that is so inviting,” says Surendra Sharma of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

The city of the Taj Mahal has more than a hundred small and big hotels, but only a dozen stand out for their design, planning and grandeur. “Hotel promoters have the resources and also a reason to experiment. They should therefore be a little more careful about the building plans and the overall design of their properties which should also take into account the local traditions,” says Rakesh Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants Association.

LALIT RAJORA

HE PAINTS WITH HIS CAMERA

When Lalit Rajora took up photography as a hobby some 15 years ago, there were neither good photographic machines, nor computers. "In the name of glamour we only had pretty models to shoot and Agra had just begun to wake up around 1997 with all the fashion shows and cultural programmes. Slowly the trend began changing," young  wild life photographer Lalit Rajora told Times of Agra in an interview.

After schooling, Lalit began his creative journey exploring mediums and platforms that would help him express himself naturally without any "banabtipan and dikhawa."

Its difficult to make him talk, but his pictures speak volumes. "In the beginning I was totally focused on beauty and spent lot of time in Mumbai to shoot stills for films, but restless soul that I am I could not adjust there and returned home. At the turn of  the  millennium I literally went wild, making wild life sanctuaries my second home," Lalit said.

These last few years Lalit has been fascinated with tigers, trekking dense forests in Ranthambore and Bandhavgarh reserves. "It takes days and weeks to shoot a good photograph of a tiger in his natural habitat and its risky too. We have to hire elephants and wait anxiously for the wild cats to disappear and then suddenly look right into your eyes. That time if you lose your cool, you had it."

A simple boy next door type, Lalit is totally obsessed and engrossed with wild life photography. His calenders are a huge hit and so are the desktop showpieces. "These products of mine are meant for the corporates and the nature lovers who can spend liberally. I get support from the MP government's forest department and the project tiger people."

Still a bachelor, he seems to be in no hurry to settle down. "I am in deep love with the tigers and cant share my love with others for the moment," he says.

Talking about himself he says "I started photography as a hobby when I was a teenager. Later the photography became both my passion and profession. I do advertising, fashion and wildlife photography. I am more into wildlife photography as a conservationist and nature lover. Besides, the Tajmahal has always fascinated me and I have captured this monument of love in different shades."

Tell us something about the finer nuances of photography. "To me  photography is all about capturing moments. Those moments that slip away unnoticed because of our hectic lifestyle. I believe that for the creative satisfaction, the sky is the limit in photography. I am a painter using camera as a brush. I play with colors and light. Photography stops the time. No other medium of ex-pression can do that."

Lalit is a die-hard Agraite. When not in the wild he is with his friends. The Taj Mahal continues to fascinate him and he has captured the building in every conceivable way and angle. He plans producing a book, a coffee table book soon on the tigers and may be one on the Taj Mahal.

Last December, Lalit was honoured for his contribution to photography at a public reception organised by the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society. Culture critic Mahesh Dhakar talks about his photos "he is the best in the business right now. Its sheer poetry. Look at the tiger crouching near a water hole. The royal look has been so beautifully captured. He is amazing."

Lalit is in no hurry to reach anywhere. "Its like meditating for hours waiting for your subject to turn up and oblige you with a precious moment to be captured in the camera. So you really learn to be at peace with yourselves and also soak in the tranquility of the wild life reserves. When you look around in the forest sitting near a rivulet, you find so much happening, the insects, the fish, the chirping birds, the squeaky squirrels, the struggle for survival.....nature in its various manifestations, mind boggling diversity all around you."

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

MEET  YOUR  NEIGHBOUR

SATYA MUDGAL: A NEW FACE OF COMEDY

Comedy is writ large on his face. Even if he says or does nothing, the changing contours on his highly expressive visage will amuse one and make you wonder what’s up his sleeves next.

He is Satyavrat Mudgal, Agra’s own “Raj Pal Yadav+Mehmood and Johnny Walker,”

The long years spent in theatre have helped him perfect his art that borders on hilarity and buffoonery. When he first did a bit role in Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya as a local hangar-on with Abhishek, ten years ago, Satya’s gut feeling was “the journey has begun.” And when Slumdog Millionaire came, he knew there was destiny knocking at his door to get noticed internationally. “Though most parts of the Agra episode of stealing shoes and fooling tourists around the Taj Mahal were cut in the final product as opposition from the local tourism industry and guides forced director Boyle to strike a compromise, those associated with this Oscar winning project got a chance to see my histrionic talent and flair for desi comedy, pure and unadulterated,” Satya said in an interview.

The Agra region has a peculiar Hindi dialect, a queer mix of Urdu and Braj Bhasha with typical accents that sound sweet and vulgar. Satya has mastered this lingo and thus far remains the best exponent of  this cultural strain in Bollywood.

Leaving his pucca job in Army’s 509 base workshop after completing a five year course in architecture, Satya followed where his heart was, the theatre and films after the 1998 Tera Jadoo put him on the filmi track. His father was supportive through out saying architects are forgotten but actors never. Agra’s leading theatre personality Dayal Pyari chiseled and polished his theatrical talent and when “Atma Hatya ki Dukan” was staged, people said Satya has finally arrived. “So many people helped me Jitendra Raghvanshi, Vinay Patsaria, Vishwanidhi, Alok, I am truly indebted to all of them and to my city of monuments. Right now I have more than 15 films.”

Satya said after finishing my architecture course the first thing he did was to get married because “it is difficult for  theatre people  and others in the creative fields to enter wedlock. From 2005 apart from acting in films as a comedian I have taken to story writing and script writing as an assistant of earlier Ikram Akhtar. So I am now financially viable as a product in the industry, not having to struggle like many others.”

Satya has been seen in Kwara, Chal mere Bhai, Bibi no 1, Yeh hai Jalwa, Joru ka Gulam, Nai Padosan. He would soon be seen in Pyasa, Jai Balaji, Shirdi ke Sai Baba, Budha Balam, Nai Lugai, to name a few with distinctive Braj flavour. Manoranjan was his first independent project as a script writer. Then came Rafoo Chakkar, Kash Mere Hote with Johnny Lever. His bit roles in Amir, 1.40 ki last local and Bolo Ram with Om Puri and Nasiruddin to be released on November 18 have been appreciated. While shooting Bolo Ram he fell from 35 feet injured his spine and was in ICU in Mumbai for more than a week. “But that’s an occupational hazard,” Satya says philosophically.

He fondly remembers the four days of shooting at the Taj Mahal with Danny Boyle, director of Slumdog Millionaire. “Those people are so professional, no airs, so much of humility and politeness. No wonder they get the best out of artistes.”

Satya says the comedy scene is changing in films. “Now you need intelligent comedy, the IQ level of the cine goers is going up. Cheap and vulgar type comedy no longer appeals. All the time we are under pressure to re-invent, do something new, although the market for comedy worldwide is expanding.”

Satya resembles Raj Pal Yadav in looks, size and mannerisms. “With him, I will be seen in Kuch khel kuch masti, Lallan Calling, Bhooth Nath, Bolo Ram.” Raj Pal is a good actor, but I am not bad either,” he quickly adds.

Satya makes it a point to return to his roots in Agra every few months. “This is necessary to breathe freely some fresh air and also be acquainted with my roots. The city has given me an identity due to the Taj Mahal and the Pagal Khana. I have to give my best to justify my links with this city of romance,” Satya adds.

Who is destroying Agra's heritage?

CITY'S URBAN PLANNING GOES HAY-WIRE

 

Agra November 21 (IANS)

 

 

The construction frenzy that has gripped the mandarins in the Agra Development Authority (ADA) is causing a lot of anxiety and fear among environmentalists and land scape designers who have expressed concern at the lack of long-term vision and commitment to conserve the essential heritage character of the Mughal Metropolis with three world heritage sites.

 

"The development efforts are in bits and pieces, ad hoc, sporadic, and lacking in a grand vision. The ADA babus have never heard of heritage ambience or architectural compatibility," rues historian Raj Kumar Sharma Raje.

 

The city seems to live in three different ages from stone age to 21st century. "If Akbar were to rise from his grave in Sikandra and walk down to his Fort, he would have no problem of losing his way, nor would he need to ask anyone for the directions. Really nothing has changed in the city fundamentally," says Wake Up Agra president Shishir Bhagat.

 

Conservationists are particularly angry at the utter lack of sensitivity to the historic architectural compatibility in new structures being built around the Taj Mahal and other monuments that each day draw thousands from all over the world. "The tourists who spend so much money and time come to see our rich architectural heritage and not the ghettos or the box type concrete jungles that are mushrooming everywhere so thoughtlessly," said president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Surendra Sharma. "Its not just Agra but the entire Braj area, Mathura, Vrindavan, Goverdhan where you see concrete jungles replacing old grand heritage structures. The ghats on the river Yamuna have disappeared, even the green mangroves of Sri Krishna have vanished," Sharma added.

 

Architectural monstrosities, haphazard urban planning, disorganised traffic movement along the main roads due to increasing number of encroachments, lack of pattern and thinking are self-evident, says conservationist Rajiv Saxena. "In the name of beautification, obstructions are being installed at road crossings. The MG Road widening plan into six lanes is in the pipeline and the ADA is senselessly going ahead with the fly-overs and overbridge construction in many areas without ensuring that the designs gel with the ambience of the area. The city badly needs an Urban Arts Panel to guide and advise official town planners so that the essential character of the city is not lost," Saxena  adds.

 

The bureaucrats keep coming up with fancy projects every now and then without thought to "visual pollution." Had it not been for some activists, a former mayor and a commissioner of Agra then would have gone ahead with promoting a "London Ferris Wheel" project near the Taj Mahal. Luckily the project was stalled in time. "Its the same mentality that inspired the BSP supremo Mayawati to launch the controversial Taj Heritage Corridor in 2003, between the two world heritage monuments Taj and the Fort."

 

 

Demands have also been made to constitute an urban arts panel in the city which should oversee and suggest suitable modifications in the urban plans. But the mindless and often haphazard urban constructions in the city are set to imbalance the heritage character of the Mughal metropolis, says Anand Rai, a key functionary of the India Rising group in Agra.

 

Abhinaya Prasad, director of the Skill Assessment and Certification Centre says "all arts and architecture loving people of Agra will have to raise their voice in a crescendo to force official agencies to stop visual pollution in the city of the Taj Mahal and numerous heritage structures."

 

In recent years, many projects undertaken by the ADA or cleared by it  have come under fire for not being in tune with the character of the city. "Obviously the bureaucrats have no idea about the high powered Dr S Vardarajan committee report which outlined 20 odd recommendations for the development of the city, including restrictions on high rise buildings within ten kilometres of the Taj Mahal, but the ADA has promoted its own ADA Heights not too far away from the heritage building," says Hari Dutt Sharma, an educationist. 

 

A few years ago, the ADA spent crores of Rupees on beautifying the approach road to the Taj Mahal from Shilp gram parking slot. Now the UP state government has launched a new Taj project costing Rs 140 crores to beautify the whole area and basties around the Taj Mahal. "So what happens to the work done earlier like installing fancy street lights in Mughal style? Where have they vanished?" asks hotelier Sandeep Kumar.

 

 

Elsewhere too in the city, urban planning or the lack of it is visible in myriad forms. People have renamed ADA as Agra Destruction Agency. "The reason why the mandarins in the ADA are able to have their way is because the 85 odd elected corporators of the Muncipal Corporation do not have a direct say in the running of the development body which lacks accountability and transparency. It is necessary to bring it under the control of the Muncipal Corporation where those elected can discuss the urban plans. Right now the babus are too arrogant and feel that the corporators are a set of duffers. This is an insult to democratic institutions," comments social activist Shravan Kumar Singh.

 

The city has multiple authorities or interest groups each at variance with the other. The district administration, the city corporation, the ADA, the Taj Mission Board, the Taj Trapezium Zone Authority, the Zila Parishad, the Archeological Survey of India, the state pollution control board, the builders and colonisers' lobbies, the tourism industry and so on are all engaged in developing Agra and "see what they have reduced this city to," adds a frustrated activist Sudershan Dua.

 

MATHURA TRAFFIC CHAOS

 

Mathura DECEMBER 3, 2014

 

"It's easier to get to moon or mars than to cover the distance from Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan to Dwarkhadheesh mandir at Vishram Ghat in Mathura, a distance of around 12 km. It could take an eternity to cross the encroached busy road from Holi Gate to one of the Yamuna ghats in the evening," said an exasperated local Gopal Das Agarwal, owner of a shop.

 

Hyperbole apart, the chaotic and highly disorganised traffic management regime put in place by the local police has left both the locals rushing to their place of work and hordes of pilgrims in a hurry to get the darshan of the presiding deity of Mathura, Dwarkadheesh.

 

For past few days the whole traffic system has gone haywire because of the civil construction work being done by the railways at two points, one near the bus stand and the other close to Sri Krishn Janam Bhoomi which each day gets thousands of visitors. "Hours are wasted and they have not even bothered to deploy more traffic cops to manage the manage the commuters at Bhuteshwar," said industrialist Murari Gupta, caught in the jam. Police said the railway work has to be taken up on a priority and we are trying our best to manage the flow of traffic without much interruptions, but some inconvenience is unavoidable.

 

"Its not one day but a daily hassle moving within the city or going to Vrindavan, but the district police does not consider it a problem," lamented author activist Dr Ashok Bansal. Managing traffic is not rocket science. They should use common sense and follow the rules of the game. Unfortunately the cops on duty only look for targets to collect extra bucks and allow heavy vehicles in no entry area. They have no policy against encroachers on the roads, Bansal added.

 

Talking to TOI, SP Traffic Ashutosh Dwivedi said "the problem is there. Very soon we will be announcing a new traffic plan which will address all these problems. People also need to cooperate. Civic sense has to be inculcated through constant education. They should wear helmets and follow the traffic rules." Dwivedi said traffic high pressure points had been identified and suitable strategies are being drawn for both Mathura and Vrindavan, and the results will soon show.

 

But the locals however have little faith in the traffic police. Many feel the  traffic week or month, are mere symbolic exercises that deliver no tangible benefits to the people, except filling pockets of traffic cops, says activist of Vrindavan Kunj Bihari Sharma.

 

A darshan of the Bankey Bihari ji or Dwarkadheesh maharaj is the mission of every pilgrim who comes here, but  a nightmare awaits them before they reach the destination in the form of Mathura's seemingly never-ending traffic jams.

Even while the authorities try out new traffic plans to ease the chaos on the roads, the problem persists, with a growing vehicle population now in lakhs and rash driving by careless drivers compounding the crisis. "Mathura is bursting at its seams and with the daily influx of thousands of pilgrims, some days the number goes in lakhs, the free for all traffic scene on the busy roads is a frustrating experience for most," adds Mathura's advocate Girish Chand. 

"A traffic jam on the highway can prove a nightmare for tourists and pilgrims who visit Vrindavan, Mathura or Agra by road from Delhi. Every other day the highway is jammed by one agitation or the other. Once the vehicle finally reaches  it gets caught in an even bigger jam," a bank official Manohar Lal Gidwani told TOI. 


Each time there is VIP movement on the Chatikara road of Vrindavan  there is a jam, says Acharya Jaimini, music maestro. Political rallies, religious and wedding processions, indisciplined driving and frequent road repairs in different parts of the city have left the people fuming with anger.

The traffic police have also worked out plans to introduce one-way traffic and install automatic traffic signals at main crossings, fitted with cameras.

Senior officials have had several rounds of meetings with NGOs and elected representatives on the issue.

"School children returning home and ambulances with patients have been left stranded for hours due to sit-in strikes and protest marches. Why don't they act on the issues? Why don't they stop experimenting with people?" asked activist Shravan Bharti.

According to Madhu Mangal Shukla, a social worker, the road and traffic plans generally ignore pedestrians and cyclists.

"We are planning only for 15 percent people - building roads, fly-overs, expressways and other fancy projects. What about the masses?" an activist Jagan Nath Poddar  asked.

Bovine, canine and simian nuisance in Braj Mandal

STRAY ANIMALS MAKE LIFE HELL FOR PADESTRIANS

 

 

Mathura/Vrindavan

 

Stray cows, dogs and red-faced monkeys have made life hell for residents of Braj mandal. From Vrindavan to Mathura and Gokul, and from Goverdhan to Barsana, the bovine, canine and simian nuisance is causing alarm after a series of attacks on women and children. The pilgrims are not safe. Even the president of India was advised to be careful with his spectacles while visiting the Bankey Bihari temple in Vrindavan on November 16. For days the locals watched with amusement the war between langurs, monkeys and the animal rights activists who had the last laugh.

 

The local residents complain that despite numerous complaints to authorities neither the UP Forest Department nor the municipal authorities have shown any interest to contain the growing menace of stray animals on roads and the exploding simian population that has made life difficult for everyone.

 

 

According to the rules the monkeys can attack humans but humans  can't kill or shoot them, says a harassed resident of Vrindavan Nandan Das. A Forest department official said "we have no funds for these activities. Moreover when you can't kill the monkeys where would you keep them?"

 

On every road crossing one can see dozens of stray animals, old or sterile cows merrily grazing away, an injured donkey or dozens of dogs chasing you wildly and if you manage to escape safely the waiting monkeys will pounce upon you from the tree tops or balconies, often snatching away glasses or the bags.

 

The nuisance is now unbearable, say people in Vrindavan. "You can't freely move around the terrace, or keep flower pots. Children and women in particular are the target of these marauding monkeys, says Kunj Bihari. The monkeys start their journey a little after dawn and take the circuitous route jumping from one terrace to another or running across streets to settle on the Yamuna ghats where they hang around the whole day running and attacking people. The return journey in the evening is equally devastating for the residents of these mohallas.

 

"In the planned colonies or the multi storeyed buildings the simian nuisance is not so alarming, because the houses are separated," points out Mathura resident Anand Agarwal. In Goverdhan monkeys are a nuisance all along the parikrama route, and around Mansi Ganga holy pond. In Vrindavan, there's hardly a lane without armies of simians who are thoroughly trained to target pilgrims wearing specs which are returned only in exchange for a pack of Parle G biscuits. "Now some groups are hooked to Crackjack and Fruiti," says chaiwalla Rakesh at Keshi Ghat.

 

The simian problem got compounded after the ban on export of monkeys for research investigations. "Hundreds  of people are bitten by dogs and monkeys every year and the hospitals rarely have adequate supplies of rabies vaccines," explains social activist Laxmi Gautam.

 

Can anything be done to contain the menace of stray animals?  "Yes, since one can not kill animals here, they should either be captured and released in the jungles or sterilised to check their population," says Naresh Kadian, animal rights activist.

 

"Some years ago, the divisional forest department in Agra had worked out a plan to shift monkeys from Braj area to Terai or Chitrakoot, but Maneka Gandhi opposed the move. Since then no one dares to even think of addressing this serious problem," recalls Nandan Shrotriya, a priest of Mathuradheesh ji temple on Yamuna Kinara road.

Mathura-Vrindavan merger move to be reviewed

 

Mathura  DECEMBER 3, 2014

 

The Mathura-Vrindavan merger move for creating a new municipal corporation, is likely to be reviewed, according to Mathura MLA and Congress party leader in the assembly Pradeep Mathur.

 

Talking to TOI, Mathur said he has had discussions with the chief secretary Alok Ranjan and the urban development minister Azam Khan who have agreed to reconsider the proposal.

 

Mathur also met the UP chief minister to present him two memorandums reflecting the public opinion in Vrindavan and the media reports against the merger move. "I told the chief minister that the merger was not warranted, as Vrindavan had a unique identity of its own in the world. Rather the local body can be upgraged to A level. The place of Vrindavan is special in mythology and history, and it should not be diluted. The chief minister agreed and promised to get the whole issue re-examined." A decision will not be taken in a hurry and without consultations with the stake holders, Mathur added.

 

After the move for merger of Vrindavan and dozens of villages in Goverdhan area with Mathura was published in newspapers, there was a hue and cry in Vrindavan and all sections of public opinion almost unanimously opposed the move. The saints of Vrindavan and the culture-activists said Vrindavan enjoyed a special heritage status with its own unique identity.

 

Activists in Vrindavan expressed relief and welcomed the chief minister's assurance to the Congress MLA to review the initiative.

KASH TUM HOTEL PROMOTION

 

Agra December 1 (IANS)

 

Kash Tum  Hotey, one of the first few films to be extensively shot in Kashmir after 16 years of violence, is all set for release on December 12, according to Manju Bharti producer of the film told IANS today.

 

The cast includes Priti Jhingiani and new comer Mukesh Bharti (black belt) in the lead, with Surendra Pal, Himani Shivpuri, Sanjay Mishra, Farida Jalal, Upasna Singh.

 

The film has music by Nikhil Vinay, predominantly Sufiana.

 

Manju Bharti said the film revolves around an artist who is also a martial art specialist. Music is the USP of the film, she said.

 

Talking to mediapersons Monday evening actor Priti Jhingiani saluted the brave Haryana girls who took up the challenge from eve-teasers in a running bus and dealt with them in an exemplary manner. "No point in organising candle march after a sad incident. Act when you witness one such sordid act of assault," was her advice. Priti said it was time girls became "mardani," and asserted their rights and identity in a positive manner.  Double standards wont do now.

 

Priti Jhingiani earlier had trouble at the Taj Mahal where the security forces prevented her from displaying the CD of her film Kash Tum Hote. According to ASI norms, commercial use of the premises of the Taj Mahal can not be made.

 

Free Mathura ashram deers/black bucks:  Wildlife activists

 

 

Mathura DECEMBER 3, 2014

Wildlife activists Tuesday demanded action against an ashram in Gokul-Mahavan for keeping more than 250 blackbucks in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. The ivory of the elephant who died in the captivity at the ashram is also missing.

Naresh Kadian, Representative of OIPA (International Organization for Animal Protection) in India, Master Trainer, AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) and Member of the Emergency Relief Network, Wildlife Trust of India, visited Karshini Ashram and found the blackbucks, which are Schedule I animals under the wildlife act.

Talking to TOI. Kadyan said the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) of India has never recognised the private zoo "under section 38-H of the act, which violated section 39 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 read with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 sections 3 and 11 because visitors offer food in unlimited quantity, which can harm the animals."

Kadian, along with other activists, has demanded immediate legal action against all offenders "after rescuing all animals, including a female elephant in chains. An elephant died sometime ago."

The ashram had been requested to comply with the regulations but "the management paid no heed. Hence, all trustees of the Karshini Ashram in the Raman Reti area, including the manager along with the local wildlife officials are responsible for breaking the law and criminal conspiracy against the wild animals.

Kadian said all the animals are kept within the boundary wall on the ashram premises with the consent of the wildlife officials.

Hence, the CZA, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau along with Animal Welfare Board of India and Animal Welfare Division, should take legal action to rescue the blackbucks and the elephant.

Interestingly, all these animals have not been declared to be in possession of the ashram, as required under law.

The chief wildlife warden of UP was not available for comment.
In their memorandum sent to the central environment ministry, the volunteers have said there were  13 scheduled wild animals trophies  with the Ramanreti based Ashram,  "without ownership, where as CWLW of UP failed to ask them the source of availability of these trophies, skins along with the purpose of custody. It would be pertinent to mention here that if black buck died in their custody then how and why they have skinned the wild animal bodies, with out any authority." "They asked when and how the elephant died in their custody and where are his tusks."

The volunteers want immediate rescue and rehabilitation of the black bucks and wild life officials involved in sheltering the guilty be investigated under the Act. .

Naresh Kadian said the wild animals and trophies are in illegal custody and the Mathura police had failed to perform its duty. Giving details he said " Black buck skin: 1 to 6. Tiger skin: 1 to 5. Cheetah skin: 1 Shahtush shawl: 1 Black buck male: 122. Black buck female: 157. Black buck calves: 4. The said scheduled wild animals trophies along with the Black buck are in the illegal custody of the Udasin Karshni Ashram Trust at Mahavan (Old Gokul), Mathura in Utter Pardesh, where as male elephant was died on 24-2-2010 but the tusk of this male elephant was not recovered, female elephant tied with chain, where as Central Zoo Authority refused to recognize as zoo, in fact it was a contempt of Hon'ble Supreme Court of India, as intimated by the CZA letter dated 10-1-2001."

chief conservator of forests and wild life, Agra division PK Sharma told TOI "yes Naresh Kadian brought this to my notice. I am aware of the whole situation. Investigations are going on and we will do the needful."

 

Kadian said he had originally complained to the central ministry of environment and forests on October 17, 2013, thereafter brought it to the notice of the Animal Welfare Board and the Central Zoo Authority. "The passing the buck game is continuing. So far no action has followed from any department. They all admit but are scared of taking any action."

VRINDAVAN TEMPLES GET SET FOR WINTER

DECEMBER 3, 2014

Vrindavan

 

As mercury dips, temples in Mathura-Vrindavan begin special preparations to insulate "little Krishna" idols from from searing cold, by wrapping them up in exquisitely crafted woollen quilts, lighting up "angeethies" to warm up the inner chambers of the presiding deities and introducing a wide range of food dishes with dry fruits and generous helping of saffron in boiled milk.

At the famous Thakur Radha Raman temple in Vrindavan the annual month long winter festival began with special darshan at the Bhandeer Van amidst chanting of bhajans and samaj gayan attended by a large number of devotees from all parts. Temple priest Acharya Sri Vats Goswami said "Bhandeer Van is one among many important Sri Krishna shrines in Braj. It is widely believed that Bhrama himself solemnised the divine marriage of Radha with Krishna here."

In Vrindavan, its been a week of festivities starting with the 508th birth anniversary (prakatyotsav) of Sri Bankey Bihari, held with great pomp and fare. "The main function was held at Nidhi Van on Friday after a procession that meandered through the narrow streets of the holy town," said Jagan Nath Poddar, a local resident. Dozens of bands and thousands of devotees from many parts of India joined the procession, dancing and singing.

This year, being celebrated as the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Chaitnya Mahaprabhu to Vrindavan, and discovery of various shrines in the Braj mandal by his eight disciples, a series of programmes are being organised. On Monday, foundation-stone of a grand gate "Chaitnya Dwar" on the Mathura road, near the ITI, was laid by saints and politicians including a national office bearer of the Samajwadi Party Kiranmay Nanda, MP, who promised to donate Rs 5 lakhs. Vrindavan municipal chairman Mukesh Gautam said people living in the holy town still revered Chaitnya Mahaprabhu and followed his teachings.

"Winter is special in Vrindavan, as temples prepare special prasads, full of dry fruits and ghee. Milk products of Vrindavan are famous as are the Pedas of Mathura," said Madhu Mangal Shukla, a local resident.

आगरा की शैली में निपटें ठंड से

बृज खंडेलवाल 

पूरे उत्तर भारत में पड़ रही कड़ाके की ठंड से ताज नगरी आगरा भी अछूती नहीं है लेकिन शहर के हलवाइयों के पास इस सर्दी का भी इलाज है।

शहर में मिठाई की दुकानों के मालिकों का कहना है कि इस सर्दी से बचने के लिए शुद्ध घी के पकवानों से बेहतर कोई उपाय नहीं है।

आगरा में ढाई सौ सालों से भगत हलवाई शॉप नाम से मिठाईयों की दुकान चला रहे शिशिर भगत ने आईएएनएस को बताया, "बृज मंडल (भगवान कृष्ण की जन्म भूमि) की पुरानी मान्यता है कि शरद ऋतु अच्छे खान पान से सेहत बनाने का मौसम है।"

उन्होंने बताया कि यही वह समय है जब लोग बेफिक्र होकर तेल-मसाले वाले भोजन का लुत्फ उठाते हैं। घी में बने पकवानों और लड्डओं के बाद केसर और सूखे मेवे वाला दूध भी शौक से पिया जाता है।

गोवर्धन होटल के मालिक सुरेंद्र शर्मा ठंड को लानत भेजते हुए कहते हैं, "पिस्ता और काजू की बर्फी, तिल के लड्ड, गाजर का हलवा खाने के बाद मघई या जर्दा और कीमम वाला बनारसी पान खाना चाहिए।"

वृंदावन के आचार्य जैमिनी के मुताबिक दाल बाटी चूरमा, साग के साथ मक्के या बाजरे की रोटी इस समय लोगों का मनपसंद भोजन होता है।

कुंज बिहारी शर्मा बताते हैं, "गाढ़ी मलाई वाले केसर मिले गर्म दूध की वृंदावन और मथुरा के विश्राम घाट में बड़ी मांग है।"

शहर में हर गली-नुक्कड़ पर चाय की दुकानों में अदरक वाली चाय की मांग होती है। मधुकर चतुर्वेदी जो एक मंदिर के पुजारी हैं, कहते हैं कि गर्म मूंगफली और गुड़ चिक्की आम आदमी की पसंद है। आगरा की सुप्रसिद्ध गुड़ वाली मिठाई गजक पौष्टिक होने के साथ साथ ठंड से भी बचाती है।

गृहिणी सीमा गुप्ता कहती हैं कि जाड़े में हरी सब्जियों की भरपूर मात्रा और सस्ती कीमत भोजन में विविधता बढ़ाती है। हरी सब्जियां वैसे भी स्वास्थ्य के लिए अच्छी होती हैं।

आगरा की सूखे मेवे वाली प्रसिद्ध आलू टिक्की और भल्ला ताजमहल देखने और आगरा घूमने आए पर्यटकों की मनपसंद है।

खाने के शौकीन एक शहरी सुधीर गुप्ता ने आईएएनएस को बताया, "चिकन और बिरयानी की छोटी दुकानें अब हर जगह नजर आ जाती हैं। ऐसा पहले नहीं था क्योंकि आगरा मूलत: शाकाहारियों का शहर है। अब तो दक्षिण भारतीय खाने और चाइनीज सहित हर तरह के खाने का विकल्प मौजूद है।"

पारम्परिक जलेबी-कचौड़ी, लड्ड और आगरा के प्रसिद्ध पेठे सहित शहर में पिज्जा, बगर्र भी लोगों के बीच लोकप्रिय हैं।

Activists demand stringent safety norms

 

Agra, Dec 2 (IANS) Activists here Tuesday urged the central and state governments to strictly enforce environment safety laws to protect life as well as property from human negligence.

The participants were speaking at a seminar on "Lessons of Bhopal Tragedy", to mark the 30th anniversary of the grim tragedy that hit Bhopal Dec 2-3, 1984.

In Agra too, hazardous chemicals from tanneries and petha units flow into the Yamuna river while fires in shoe units posed a major threat to environment and human survival, speakers said.

Chandra Kant Tripathi, registrar of the Central Hindi Institute, said: "Our attitude towards maintaining safety norms is lax, at times callous. This mindset should change."

An NGO functionary, Shravan Kumar Singh, said training in safety and precautions must begin from schools.

He asked the fire brigade, police and pollution control board officials to regularly monitor industries.

Activist Anand Rai said the way industries were being run, "one can only be grateful to god that tragedies like the one in Bhopal are not repeated. Our level of preparedness for disaster management is tardy and faulty".

Activists Mahendra Rawat and Sandhya Agarwal demanded strict vigilance and punishment for those failing to implement safety norms.

"We hear of industrial accidents, leakage from chemical factories or blasts. The need of the hour is to educate people."

HEMA  MALINI  WANTS  WATER RELEASED FOR YAMUNA

Mathura December 3 (IANS)

 

Hema Malini, MP from Mathura-Vrindavan, has demanded immediate release of water in river Yamuna from the Hathini Kundi barrage to ensure that lakhs of pilgrims who visit Sri Krishna land are not put to inconvenience and the pollutants in the dry river are diluted for the safety of the people.

 

Hema Malini raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and urged the prime minister to take appropriate action at an early date to satisfy the "Braj basis," whose life had become hell due to the polluted river.

 

Talking to IANS, Hema Malini, Wednesday evening said "I placed all the facts before the house and voiced the frustration and concern of the local Braj Basis who have long been demanding action to save the Yamuna river from pollution. The industries in Haryana and Delhi were polluting the river which had been reduced to a vast sewage canal. The pollutants were adversely affecting children, particularly as lead and other trace elements had been found to flow freely in the river. The only solution is to release water on a continuous basis for the downstream cities and divert the waste and sewer through a parallel drain to the Agra Canal as was promised earlier."

 

Hema Malini said "the problem can not be resolved unless the governments at the centre and state take prompt steps. I am happy the prime minister has heard me patiently during my recent meeting with him. I have explained the importance of Mathura and Vrindavan and the contribution of Yamuna river to Sri Krishna bhakti, apart from its life sustaining role."

 

The BJP  Lok Sabha member has been actively engaged in reviving culture in Braj and addressing urgent issues to promote Mathura as a heritage city.

CAN AGRA UNIVERSITY BE SAVED?

 

A TALE OF TWO UNIVERSITIES, ONE GOING TO DOGS, THE OTHER SCALING NEW HEIGHTS

 

The city has two universities, two models of high and low. The Agra University is going to dogs and the Dayalbagh deemed University scaling new heights of excellence each day.

 

Can anything be done to save Dr BR Ambedkar University, this is the question that everyone is asking today.

 

The state of higher education in UP is bad, in fact very bad.

 

Agra University, for past at least ten years has seen its lowest ebb. Founded in 1927, this mother university, one of the oldest in the country, has provided faculty for other universities, produced illustrious leaders like Choudhary Charan Singh, former president Shankar Dayal Sharma, Mulayam Singh Yadav and a long line of distinguished professionals in all fields.

 

Today it cries for help. Being a state university, central intervention may not be possible, but there are ways to handle the situation. The governor, who is the chancellor, can be persuaded to monitor its working.

 

In brief, the problems are as under: teachers have lost interest in teaching; its dinosaur-like size makes it unmanageable; campus spreads from Noida to Lucknow, with more than 500 affiliated colleges and enrolment of over seven lakh students; results are never announced in good time, examinations are neither fair, nor held within a specific time-frame; fake mark-sheets are available, anamolies in admissions to various courses included B Ed have been highlighted on a daily basis by the media, without any result; appointments are bogus; no promotion/transfer policy.

 

The state government has to decide to split the university into three. The SN Medical College founded in 1850 should be a new university with the famous Agra Mental Hospital under it. The RBS College should become a new agricultural university. This college founded in 1850, is the biggest in the country in terms of land assets. It has provided faculty to Pant Nagar and Pusa ICAR and to so many agricultural colleges, but its demand for upgradation as a university, has been turned down.

 

Also, colleges in Aligarh should be affiliated to local universities. Mathura colleges should be affiliated to the GLA University. We need a new university in Firozabad to take care of colleges in Mainpuri, Etah and neighbouring areas.

 

Each day there is some protest or dharna at the university gates. Suicide attempts have also been made in the past to highlight the state of non-functioning, but so far there has been no positive indication of any effort being made to bring the university back on rails.

 

Students are fed up. The VC and the registrar, have practically no idea how to wriggle out of the crisis. Corruption has infected every administrative department and the list of scams involving officials is becoming longer.

 

RAHUL BOSE IS THE AMBASSADOR OF THE DFC SCHOOL CHALLENGE

 

Agra/Ahmedabad July 21 (IANS)

 

Actor/activist Rahul Bose has been named the brand ambassador of the world's largest school competition Design for Change, launched by Kiran Bir Sethi six years ago in Ahmedabad.

 

According to Rahul Bose, DFC, is an award winning global movement led by children. "DFC uses Design Thinking through the four easy steps of Feel, Imagine, Do and share, to help children find new answers for challenges big and small, and thereby lead the change world over."

 

Bose said "from teaching their parents to read, stopping child marriages, cleaning up neighbourhoods to fixing potholes on the streets, preserving their cultural heritage, children are proving that they have what it takes to be able to design a future that is desired."

 

In the last five years, the DFC has enabled children in over 3000 schools in India to create a positive change in their immediate environment, involved participants from over 30 countries and collected over 10,000 stories on 16 diverse issues.

 

Talking to IANS, Nandini Sood, programme coordinator said the DFC offered a structured way to teach 21st century skills like leadership, communication, collaboration, critical and creative thinking in children. "They move from a mindset of CAN I to I CAN. Because super heroes are not in fairy tales ..They are in every child who says I CAN."

 

Kiran Bir Sethi, founder of DFC said there were 100 exciting prizes to be won. "The most compelling stories of change by children will be featured on www.satyamevjayate.in." Amar Chitra Katha will give away exciting gift hampers to 80 winning schools while Disney Play Centres will awarded to top 20 winning schools.

 

The last date for submission of entries is August 15. Stories in the form of reports have to reach by October 2 and the prizes would be announced on November 14. Best stories will be published in the annual book I CAN.

 

Details are available on www.dfcworld.com/india

 

 

IS  UP  SAFE  FOR  GIRLS?

By Brij Khandelwal

Agra July 21 (IANS)

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s response to the increasing incidence of rapes in Uttar Pradesh has drawn caustic comments from social activists here.

Yadav two days ago had reacted saying sexual crimes in a state with 210 million people were not as alarming compared to some other states. Earlier too, Yadav had been taken to task for his casual comment “ladke hain, galtiyan ho jati hain.”

A retired police official (not wanting to be identified) told IANS “the actual number of crimes was much higher than projected, as most middle and upper class families hesitated lodging formal complaints. Of late of course the trend has changed and now more young girls are coming forward to speak out their minds.”

Political workers have called Mulayam’s comment in bad taste and one that would only encourage the rapists.

The Samajwadi Party is adopting an ostritch-like stance, not reading the writing on the wall, says activist Shravan Kumar Singh. “In last few days alone, four persons gang-raped a young dalit girl in Mathura district. In Meerut, a mother and her daughter who had gone to collect fire-wood, were abducted and raped repeatedly in a forest area by six persons. In Firozabad late Saturday night a 12^th standard girl was forcibly taken to a desolate place and gang raped. A youth in Aligarh district raped a girl. The boy, a polytechnic student tied the 13 year old girl with her dupatta and raped her after threatening her life with a pistol. In Allahabad too a 10^th standard girl was raped by a truck driver and cleaner,” he pointed out.

The situation is hardly safe in the Agra region for girls who are going out for studies, say the worried parents.

The city of love is turning hostile to the safety of young girls.

Girls are not safe in Agra, say the senior citizens. The predicament is two-fold: more and more girls from the vast rural hinterland and the smaller towns on the periphery of the city are venturing out for work or studies.

"The pomp and glare of the city life lures many who become targets of abuse by predators at large," says Naresh Paras, a human rights activist. The right to education for all and the attraction of free meals, free books, bags, uniforms and even cycles, have facilitated mobility proving  a great motivating factor to bring girls out of their conventional mindsets and backgrounds. "But this trend has also created a whole lot of social problems, failed love affairs, murders, attacks, rapes and cheating and invariably its the young girls who have to suffer," Naresh adds.

While civil society activists blame the political class for callous indifference and complicity in some cases, senior police officials at several interactions recently have targeted changing life-styles and loosening parental grip on children.

Why is the city of love turning into a sex and crime capital of west UP?   Many locals blame the police, others target the changing moral values. "Its a combination of factors and all of us are partly to blame. With  freedom and mobility come a set of problems as predators are on the prowl everywhere," says a woman activist Padmini of Naari and Baal Vikas Samiti.

From April to July, more than a score young girls have become victims of  physical molestation or brutal rapes,  many lifted while sleeping out of their homes with parents in the dark of night. "The girls are brutally raped and then to hide their identity either murdered or mutilated. Of late there have been so many incidents of girls being thrown before running trains. Why the law enforcing agencies are not waking up to these new challenges," asks school teacher Meera Gupta.

"In recent years there has been high migration from the smaller towns and villages on the periphery. These impoverished people live in slums and underdeveloped areas without facilities, exposing the girls and women to crimes," explains activist Madhukar Chaturvedi.

Flesh traders with regular supply of girls from Nepal and other areas bordering Bangladesh to the centuries-old red light areas of Basai, Mal ka Bazar, Seo ka Bazar areas are sustained by the migrant population. "A large supply comes from Bangladesh. In Agra alone there must be at least a few thousand girls from the east married to locals, reflecting the imbalanced sex-ratio.

A random visit to the family courts and the Mahila thanas, gives a fair indication of the rotten state of affairs. You now have young married women revolting against an oppressive system propped up by insane and inhuman mother in laws, or relatives and in most cases drunkard husbands. "One does see a rise in promiscuity also, perhaps fuelled by media or internet. Young girls having affairs and even indulging in pre-marital relations or participating in drink-drug parties, have no qualms about what they describe as the decadent moral values," a human rights activist Megh Singh Yadav says.