Night viewing of Taj: SC defers permission

The Supreme Court on Thursday deferred permission for moonlit viewing of the Taj Mahal seeking details of the security and environment strategy devised.

The Uttar Pradesh government has sought permission for night viewing of the 17th century monument of love.

A bench comprising Justice Ruma Pal, Justice S B Sinha and Justice S H Kapadia asked the state government to file a comprehensive implementation plan incorporating the suggestions of security agencies and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

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Both the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is in-charge of the safety of the monument at Agra, and the ASI, which is responsible for its conservation, had pulled their weight behind the Uttar Pradesh government's proposal to allow 400 visitors on moonlit nights, which would be three nights in a lunar calendar.

But the CISF wanted x-ray machines installed at entry points while the ASI agreed with the proposal to allow 400 visitors provided they were in divided into groups of 50 with each given 30 minutes to view the monument.

Appearing for the state government, senior advocate Ashok Desai detailed the restrictions imposed on night viewing. These include

1. no illumination of the monument
2. no use of generator sets
3. use of battery-operated vehicles to transport tourists
4. no electronic gadgets except cameras and binoculars

The court deferred permission to allow night viewing since the x-ray machines had not been installed and other proposals were yet to be implemented.