New Delhi: Despite the Archaeological Survey of India’s (ASI) lodging an FIR about illegal structures around Agra’s Taj Mahal, the local authorities have not removed them. There are 470 illegal structures, including restaurants, cafes, and emporiums, in a restricted area that falls within a 500m radius of the Taj Mahal in Agra and some of these encroachments are decades old, Times of India (ToI) reported.
The publication has also accessed the list of such illegal structures sent by the director-general of ASI to the UP government and district administration last year for removal.
Superintending archeologist Raj Kumar Patel told ToI that the ASI’s jurisdiction is limited to filing FIRs in cases of unauthorised construction around protected monuments. The ASI director-general’s office has the power to issue demolition notices but it is the duty of the Agra Development Authority (ADA) and local administration to act on them.
Quoting from an ASI report, ToI stated that 248 new illegal constructions mushroomed in the radius of 100m to 300m of the protected monument and its sub-circles during 2015-2022. Some of them are within as close as 50m radius of the world heritage site.
Currently, construction up to 100m around protected monuments is prohibited, while an area up to 200m beyond the prohibited area is regulated under the Ancient Monuments ald Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, which has stringent rules in terms of construction-related permit.
Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ)
In December 2017, the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) authority filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court maintaining that a “no construction zone” had been declared within 500m radius of the Taj. The TTZ authority was set up following the apex court’s orders in 1996 to monitor the progress of the implementation of various schemes for Taj’s protection.
Divisional Commissioner, Ritu Maheshwari, who also heads the ADA and TIZ authority, told TOI on Tuesday, “I will look into the details of the entire matter. Time bound action will be taxen to remove illegal constructions and encroachments around the Taj and other monuments.”
