The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for failing to protect and preserve the iconic Taj Mahal from discolouration.
The apex court also expressed concern over Taj Mahal being infected by insects and asked the authorities, including the ASI, what steps they have taken to prevent this.
“This situation would not have arisen if the ASI would have done its job. We are surprised with the way the ASI is defending itself. You (Centre) please consider if the ASI is needed there or not,” a bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta told Additional Solicitor General ANS Nadkarni, who was appearing for the Centre.
“The floor in parts of the Taj is dirty because of people walking there. We don’t give socks to everyone, only those who don’t have, the rest go in their own socks,” said ASI.
In a tart exchange with the judges, the government suggested disposable socks available abroad to people visiting monuments.
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Meanwhile, Nadkarni told the bench that the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) was considering the apex court’s suggestion to appoint international experts to look into the issue of protection and preservation of Taj Mahal.
The counsel for ASI told the court that the problem of insects was due to stagnation of water of river Yamuna.
In March this year, the apex court had asked Uttar Pradesh government to place before it a draft of vision document on protection and preservation of the Taj and the environment in the Taj Trapezium Zone, which is an area of about 10,400 sq km spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur in Rajasthan.
The top court has been monitoring developments in the area to protect the monument, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1631. The mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.