Taj Mahal turning yellow: NGT slaps fine on UP government

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal on Friday slapped fines on Uttar Pradesh government agencies for not replying to a plea claiming that large-scale garbage burning is turning the Taj Mahal yellow.

The Tribunal had asked the state government’s Urban Development ministry, Agra municipal authority and its District Magistrate to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The decision came after an NGO named Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE) claimed that a joint report of IIT-Kanpur, Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Wisconsin has revealed that the dust and carbon produced from the large-scale municipal solid waste burning is turning the Taj Mahal’s white marble yellow.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar earlier sought a reply from the concerned authorities regarding the same. The bench has given a last opportunity to the authorities to file the response.

“Let reply be filed within two weeks subject to payment of Rs 20,000 each as cost to CPCB,” the bench said.

–IANS