SC stays notices for closure of shops within 500 metres of Taj Mahal

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Agra Development Authority ADA for not conducting any survey on the environmental impact of business activities near the iconic Taj Mahal and termed it a sorry state of affairsThe top court said it has to act like a super administrator as the ADA has failed to do its duty and stayed the operation of notices served for closure of all business activities along the boundary wall of the centuriesold monumentA bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka asked the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute NEERI to conduct an environment impact assessment EIA based on the latest survey of the business activities especially in the Taj Ganj area within 500 metres from the boundary wall of the iconic monument and submit a report giving suggestion to the court as early as possibleThe top court noted that its September 26 order for removal of businesses was passed to bring in conformity with a similar order passed earlier in the case of 71 shops which were directed to be rehabilitated outside the 500metre periphery of the monumentAlso read Bharat Jodo Yatra Rahul targets PM Modi over demonetisationIt granted liberty to NEERI to approach the court in case it faces any difficulty in conducting the survey or the EIAThe bench told the counsel for Uttar Pradesh It seems that your authority has not performed their task and now we have to become super administrators We ourselves dont know what kind of activity is going on there We were concerned with those 71 shopkeepersIt said that the state government was directed in 1998 by the court to conduct an environment impact assessment of the business activities around the Taj Mahal but till date nothing has been doneThe top court was hearing an application of owners of the residence and business establishments especially those in Taj Ganj area who were served closure notices by the ADA pursuant to the September 26 order of the courtSenior advocate Mukul Rohatgi appearing for the shop owners said they have been carrying out their businesses and have residences in the area for decades and now the ADA has served them notices for closureThe earlier order for 71 shops was passed for encroachers but we are not encroachers We have been there for a long The ADA has served the notice saying that the court has ordered for closure Where should we go There was no scientific study conducted which says that due to these activities there is any danger to the monument he saidRohatgi said these 2000 establishments have never been in any kind of litigation for the past 40 years and have never indulged in any business activity which has been prohibitedAmicus curiae ADN Rao said the order banning business activity within 500 metres of the Taj Mahal has been in existence since 1996 and has been reiterated time and againAdvocate M C Dhingra appearing for the 71 shop owners said there will be gross violation of earlier top court orders as business activities are going on near the western gate of the monument which is illegalRohatgi said the order was passed for the encroachers and not residentsThe bench disposed of the application of 2000 residents with the direction to the NEERIThe bench also asked the Union Ministry of Tourism to have a relook at the 2007 plan submitted by HUDCO for the reconstruction of 71 shops in Amrud ka Tilla areaThe top court is monitoring development in the area after it first entertained a PIL by environmentalist M C Mehta in 1984 to protect the Taj Mahal which has been declared as a UNESCO world heritage and was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wifeIt also allowed the felling of 1032 trees for construction of fourlane road from Yamuna Expressway to Pagla Baba Mandir in VrindavanThe bench asked the National Highways Authority of India NHAI to complete the compulsory afforestation by planting 10320 saplings within six months and asked Rao to submit the report after visiting the site of afforestationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever