Apex court’s directive threatens Agra’s petha industry

Agra’s famed petha (ash gourd) industry is a facing a new threat. The Supreme Court has ordered that all petha units operating within the Taj Trapezium Zone, an area of 10,400 square kilometres that includes the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri, must move out.

A bench led by Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the Uttar Pradesh government on April 3 to submit a relocation plan within three months. The matter was last heard on July 30 with no decision issued. It is listed again for September 23. That is when the court is expected to deliver orders.

Petha began in the kitchens of the Mughal emperors, according to legend. Nearly 5,000 people work in the petha trade, according to the Economic Times. Each day, about 1,000 quintals of the sweet are produced in more than 25 varieties, it reported.