The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday told the Supreme Court that pollution level around Taj Mahal had remained almost the same in the last 15 years and the monument is completely safe. It, however, admitted that the quantity of Particulate Matter (PM)-10 at the monument was above the fixed standards.

In an affidavit, filed in the Supreme Court by UP’s additional advocate general Aishwarya Bhati, the state government informed the court about various measures taken by it over the years to protect and preserve the monument and environment surrounding it. The government filed before the court a Comprehensive Environmental Management and Action Plan for maintaining the eco-system in Taj Trapezium Zone- a 10,400 sq km trapezium-shaped area covering over five districts of UP and one district of Rajasthan. The TTZ comprises over 40 protected monuments including three World Heritage sites — Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.

Placing the data on air quality measured by four monitoring stations around Taj Mahal in the last 15 years, the state government said, “According to the data received from 2002 till 2016, yearly average at all four places of sulphur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are almost stable and in accordance with the notified ambient air quality standards. Only in industrial area, NO2 is more than the standards and on the four places the quantity of PM-10 is more than the standards.”

“It is relevant to mention that despite many times increase in pollution sources(increase in vehicles and other commercial activities) in the past years, there is a slow increase (from 147 microgram percubic meter level in 2002 to 168 level) in the quantity of PM-10 at Taj Mahal,” the affidavit said.

The state filed its response in compliance with the SC order directing it to place the comprehensive plan to protect the 17th century monument. The court has been monitoring the case for the last 31 years after it was contended that growing pollution level in the city posed serious danger to Taj and it had passed series of order including restraining authorities not to cut down any tree without its permission in TTZ.

As carried in TOI