Wah, Taj! Even you've been handed bills

'Noor Jahan ♥ Shah Jahan.' 'Mumtaz Mahal ♥ Taj Mahal.' In this post-Mughal age where everything goes, these proclamations may well be considered as 'factual' facts. But creative facts are one matter; the sudden arrivals of real bills are quite another. Earlier this week, the Monument of Love - no, not Kartavya Path but Taj Mahal - received an unexpected missive in the form of notices for unpaid property tax and water bills. With no Punjab farmer using free water in the precincts of India's - and Agra's - finest real estate, could the authorities have finally wised up to a freebie scam started much before the Angrezi zamana, never mind Nehru's? As for pending property tax, Shah Jahan has long left the building to discuss matters in or out of court. As it turns out, it's the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who now are custodians of the mausoleum, that has been left holding the more than ₹1 crore bill in 'dues'.

ASI, yet to dig in to solve the 'mystery', believes the whole matter is a mistake. As a national monument and Unesco heritage site, the Taj doesn't need to pay these bills. An unnamed but senior municipal officer has been quoted as saying that it's most probably a glitch by the private company that has been processing the notices on contract with the UP government. Let's see. Meanwhile, the moon still shines free on the Taj.