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Stop business activities within 500-metre of Taj Mahal by Oct 17: ADA
On Sept 26, the Supreme Court had ordered stopping of all commercial activities within the 500-metre radius of the 17th century monument
Nearly a week after the Supreme Court ordered stopping of all commercial activities within the 500-metre radius of the Taj Mahal and told the Agra Development Authority (ADA) to ensure compliance, the development authority has set the deadline of October 17 for the same.
The ADA on Saturday also asked those having business activities there to not make any further purchases. It further said if any vehicles were found carrying goods for the shops located within a 500-metre radius of the 17th century monument, they will be stopped with the help of police.
“There are the Supreme Court’s orders directing stopping of business activities within a 500-metre radius around the Taj Mahal. So, we have asked those having business activities there to stop them by October17, 2022 and a public notice has also been issued in this regard” said ADA vice-chairman Charchit Gaur.
“We are moving ahead with the survey to identify such business activities around the Taj and are informing those having business activities to stop them within the set deadline,” Gaur added.
The order, released by the SC on September 26, was passed by the bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice AS Oka while allowing a plea which sought a directive to the authorities to prohibit commercial activities in the 500-metre radius of the 17th-century white marble mausoleum. The plea was filed by Taj Western Gate Market Association in July this year.
Meanwhile, shops within a 500-metre radius of the iconic monument remained closed on Sunday even as affected shopkeepers, hotel owners etc went to the residence of union minister of state Prof SP Singh Baghel, who is Lok Sabha member from Agra.
“We complained against the haste being shown by the ADA in setting so short a deadline to ensure compliance of Supreme Court orders when the Apex court has itself set no such deadline. The ADA could have given sufficient time to us to explore legal remedies,” said Nitin Singh who is heading the action committee constituted by those affected by court order. Union minister Baghel met these locals and according to Nitin Singh, the MLC from Agra Vijay Shivhare talked to the ADA vice-chairman on the phone over the issue.
“We are yet to receive the support we expect from our elected representatives in this hour of crisis. We are petty shopkeepers, small hotel and emporium owners and thus have limited resources to engage lawyers when it comes to seeking review of court order but our meeting with the local MP was not that fruitful,” claimed Nitin Singh. The SC order and subsequent ADA action have created uncertainty in Tajganj locality around Taj Mahal which houses about 100 hotels, emporiums and about 400 odd shops.
