Saving the taj

-- The Supreme Court recently issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on the state's plans to construct a commercial corridor between Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. The court cited the Krishan Mahajan report, which was commissioned to research the environmental aspects of tourism promotion around the Taj.

The report warns that the government's proposed move to construct amusement parks, food plazas and related establishments between the two historical monuments would destroy the area's ecology. It also accuses the UP government of diverting Yamuna river to facilitate the construction of the project.