Taj Mahal area should be no-plastic zone: UP government to Supreme Court

Days after the Supreme Court lashed out at the Uttar Pradesh government for its apathy towards the Taj Mahal, the Yogi Adityanath government on Tuesday filed its first draft report of its vision document on protection and preservation of the Mughal era monument.

The entire Taj Mahal precinct should be declared a no-plastic zone and all polluting industries in the region closed, the Adityanath government suggested in a bid to protect and preserve the 17th century monument, considered one of the seven wonders of the world and a major tourist draw.

The Uttar Pradesh government mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta.

The government had also suggested that there should be no construction on the Yamuna floodplain and the riverbank should only have natural plantations.

The apex court has been monitoring development in the area to protect the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal at Agra in 1643.

The ivory white marble mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) 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 district of Rajasthan.

(With inputs from agencies)