TAJ MAHAL STILL STRUGGLING FOR SURVIVAL

By Brij Khandelwal

Agra June 5 (IANS) 

Despite numerous promises by successive governments, Supreme Court intervention, NGT initiatives and launching of countless number of campaigns to secure Agra and its historical monuments from environmental pollution, the ground reality paints a dismal picture as both nature and men conspire to hasten the process of decadence in this premier Mughal metropolis.

River Yamuna, sick with toxic pollutants is virtually dead. The air quality continues to remain alarming as an increasing number of vehicles spit noxious gases, fumes and harmful emissions. The suspended particulate matter in the ambient air remains higher than the standard for the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone, spread over 10,400 sq km. The green cover in the district has come down to pathetic 6.71 percent. Compare this with Delhi 35 and Chandigarh 45.

Of the 400 odd community ponds, only a few survive. The irrigation network, an extensive canal system that the British colonialists left behind, is mostly encroached upon. The six tributaries of Yamuna in the district remain choked with garbage and sludge round the year.

Who can deny that Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal and several other architectural wonders which attract lakhs of visitors from all parts of the globe annually, is unfortunately showing no signs of revival.

"The decadent city is urgently in need of focused attention to streamline civic amenities and overhaul its tourism infrastructure," says social activist Shravan Kumar Singh. “When the Mughals ruled, Agra was a mega metro, more developed than London and Paris, according to many European travel writers of the 17th century. The British looked after Agra with care. However after independence the city has been a victim of lobbying and consistent step-motherly treatment,” Singh added.

The residents feel "India's tourist destination number one has suffered as a result of poor political leadership. The city’s economic growth has remained stunted as a result of the pollution war. Promises of developing pollution-free industries including the IT sector have not been kept and the shrinking of opportunities is forcing young graduates to migrate to Delhi and other parts of India. Without adequate economic activities, the city might in future be reduced to a backwater region peopled by retired senior citizens, and the lonely aged couples left to take care of themselves," says president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Surendra Sharma.

When the Supreme Court took up the PIL by MC Mehta in 1992, a series of measures based on recommendations of the high powered Dr S Varadrajan committee report were taken. Industries were closed or forced to move out. Uninterrupted power supply was ordered. The Mathura Oil Refinery was told to install hydro cracker unit and use low sulphur crude for processing.

However, the cumulative impact of various measures initiated, were neutralized by massive construction, concretization, denudation, urbanization, and substantial hike in the number of vehicles. The Yamuna Expressway and the Agra Lucknow Expressway resulted in reduction of the green cover and increased road traffic phenomenally.

While the union culture ministry and the apex court discuss the varied hues of the Taj Mahal and the factors that led to colour change, citizens plead for restoring the original heritage city status for Agra.

It is no rocket science calling for involvement of experts to find out why and how the Taj was being disfigured or discoloured. They have destroyed the original landscape and natural balance of the area around the Taj Mahal. The river Yamuna which was the main vital force sustaining the huge monument is reduced to a gutter. Mudpack treatment, development of the artificial park at the rear of the Taj Mahal, and the controversial heritage corridor, and the totally incompetent bureaucratic machinery for its conservation have all collectively impacted the Taj Mahal, opines eminent Mughal historian Prof R Nath.

Locals complain that the city is eternally jammed with traffic chaos obstructing vehicular movement within the city. Tourist vehicles are stranded for hours in traffic jams. A scientific road management system has to be put in place along with widening of the roads and demolition of encroachments, says ex president of the IMA, Dr Harendra Gupta.

Tourists have often described agra as the dirtiest city in the world. The Agra Municipal Corporation has proved unequal to the challenge of rising mounds of dirt. The city does not have a scientific waste disposal plan and the facilities for regular cleanliness are non-existent. An Action Plan to clean up the city on a war footing and maintaining the tempo of cleanliness subsequently is urgently required through institutional arrangements supported by adequate funding, says eco-activist Ranjan Sharma.

The city lacks a proper local bus transport system. The connectivity being poor between different tourist places, tourist are fleeced and cheated by tempo and taxi operators. Decent air conditioned buses should be available for the tourists to enable them to visit all the tourist spots. Locals should also benefit from a regular and streamlined transport system which should be pollution free, comfortable and affordable.

It has been one of the long standing demands of this city that for speedy and scientific development of the city, the Central government should work out some institutional arrangement to ensure there were no conflicting perspectives and action plans. Right now we have the Mission Management Board, the Taj Trapezium Zone Authority, the central and the state pollution control boards, the municipal corporation, the district board and the Agra Development Authority, each with its own set of priorities and levels of accountability, says KC Jain, secretary of the Agra Development Foundation.