Supreme Court tells Agra municipal to shift crematorium to protect Taj Mahal

NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court bench has asked the municipal authorities in Agra to consider relocating a cremation ground to protect the Taj Mahal from being damaged by the smoke emanating from funeral pyres.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India in waiting, TS Thakur, on Monday gave civic authorities three weeks to take a call. Earlier, Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph had written to the outgoing CJI about the matter.

This is not the first time the top court has alerted authorities on the issue. It had asked the Uttar Pradesh government on December 7, 1998, and then again April 12, 1999, to take a call on relocating the cremation ground—which is within a 500-m radius of the historical monument—but to no avail.

In his letter, Justice Joseph said that on an average 25 bodies are cremated at the crematorium every day, resulting in smoke and ash flying around the monument. He invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Swatch Bharat” mantra for a cleaner India to back his suggestion for either relocating it or replacing it with an electric crematorium.

“Huge fire and thick smoke was noticed in the vicinity of Taj Mahal on aview from Lal Quila at around 19:00 hours…. On enquiring from the district judge and ASI authorities… I was told that there is a crematorium within a radius of 500 metres… The authorities also informed that the sight is a frequent one.

“The wind direction, many a time, plays havoc and causes the smoke and ash to fly towards Taj Mahal, as was reported and is one among the major identified causes for the deterioration of the physical lustre which ultimately may even pose a threat to the stability of the structure,” Justice Joseph said.