Ruling in Taj case round the corner

The Supreme Court decision on the Rs175-crore Taj heritage corridor project is expected soon. The decision is likely to put the Mayawati government in a tight spot.

The court on Monday directed the UP government to respond within three weeks to the allegations of illegal constructions in and around the protected heritage memorial on the Yamuna bed in Agra.

A bench headed by justice SB Sinha sought the state's response to a report filed by the court-appointed monitoring committee, which has blamed the Agra Development Authority and the state government for failing to check illegal constructions in the area.

Lawyer Krishan Mahajan, who is assisting the apex court in the Taj case, has said the authorities did not have any data with regard to the benchmark for permitting construction in the protected area.

According to Mahajan, scores of housing societies have come up on the river bed but do not have basic facilities such as sewerage. In the process, he said, the entire sewer was being diverted to the river.

Earlier last month, DNA had reported neglect of the historical monument. The apex court has already stayed the state's move to fell 2,332 trees around the white marble mausoleum.