Apex court stays notices for closure of shops within 500 metres of Taj Mahal

New Delhi, Nov 9: 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 affairs”.
The 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 centuries-old monument.
A 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 possible.
The 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 500-metre periphery of the monument.
It granted liberty to NEERI to approach the court in case it faces any difficulty in conducting the survey or the EIA.
The 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 don’t know what kind of activity is going on there. We were concerned with those 71 shopkeepers.” It 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 done.
The 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 court.
Senior 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 closure. (PTI)