in a December 1996 ruling on a public interest petition, the Supreme Court ordered 292 coke coal-based industries in the trapezium zone of the historical Taj Mahal to either close down, pull out or switch over to gas-based fuel by April 30, 1997.
In a strictly-worded verdict, the court ruled that in case of the Taj, "not even one per cent chance can be taken" as "there is no doubt that the coke coal polluting industries have a dangerous effect on the heritage monument."
The Uttar Pradesh government was directed to identify polluting units and issue them one month's notice for relocation or to apply for a gas connection. Among the 292 errant units, those that were willing to shift to gas-based fuel, have been directed by the court to apply to the Gas Authority of India Limited for industrial connections by February 15, 1997. And for those units that were not ready to shift to gas-based fuel, the judgement ruled them to apply to the Uttar Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation for alternative plots for relocation outside the Taj trapezium zone.
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