SC expresses concern over Taj discolouring

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the discolouring of the Taj Mahal and demanded to know what the central government was doing about it unless it had “decided” that “the Taj had to go”.

A two-judge bench, comprising justices Madan Lokur and Deepak Gupta, took the government to task after looking at photographs showing the famed marble monument changing colour from white to yellow because of pollution.

The top court has over the years shifted out several polluting industries in and around the monument to protect it from the hazards of air pollution. These include brick kilns and other industries emitting noxious fumes which are blamed for the yellowing of the white marble used in the monument. However, this has not prevented the discolouring from setting in.


On Tuesday, the court demanded to know from additional solicitor general Atmaram Nadkarni what the central government was doing to undo the damage caused by the ravages of time.

“We don’t know whether you have the expertise or not. Maybe you have the expertise and you are not utilising it. Or perhaps you don’t care,” Justice Lokur told Nadkarni, who said ASI was in charge of taking care of the historic monument. The bench granted the government time till May 9 to come up with an action plan.