New Delhi, July 30: The Supreme Court, speaking on the issue of preservation of Taj Mahal, has said that the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) chairman and the secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, are responsible for the maintenance and preservation of Taj Mahal. This observation by the Supreme Court is the latest in the recent observations given by the apex court in connection to the Taj Mahal in what the apex court views as 'neglect' faced by the monument and the shortcomings on part of the state government and Centre on upkeep of the Taj Mahal.

The Supreme Court on July 27, had come down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh government and commented that the Taj Mahal was losing its majestic white colour and said that the whole effort to protect the Taj Mahal has been turned into a "joke".

KK Venugopal, Attorney General of India and appearing on behalf of Centre in the case, said that it would be a great embarrassment for India if Taj Mahal lost its sheen. KK Venugopal had also told the bench that he would come back with names of departments responsible for the upkeep of the monument. The Supreme Court's observation that (TTZ) chairman and the secretary of MEFCC is in this context. Check the ANI tweet below, which carries the Supreme Court's remark about the responsibility of maintenance and preservation of the monument:

The Supreme Court on July 11 had come down hard on the Centre over the maintenance of Taj Mahal and had warned the Centre in no uncertain terms saying that, "Either we will shut down the Taj or you demolish or restore it," the court told Centre while hearing a petition seeking proper maintenance of the monument that figures in the Seven Wonders Of The World. The top court had questioned the Uttar Pradesh government and Centre over the maintenance of Taj Mahal.

The Uttar Pradesh government on July 24, had filed a draft vision document on restoration and preservation of the monument. Avanish Awasthi, the principal secretary (tourism) had told the top court that 'School of Planning and Architecture' in Delhi, which has been preparing the vision document, had finalised the draft and that it would be submitted soon to the top court. The Supreme Court in February had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file within four weeks a vision document for protection and preservation of the Taj Mahal.

What is Taj Trapezium Zone?

The Supreme Court, in its remark on the maintenance of the Taj Mahal, has said that the onus is on the Taj Trapezium Zone (TZZ) Chairman and the secretary of the Ministry of Environment. The Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is a protected area of 10,400 sq km around the Taj Mahal, which is a defined area in order to protect the monument from pollution. Under the Supreme Court ruling in response to a PIL to protect the Taj Mahal, delivered by the apex court on December 30, 1996, the Supreme Court ordered the use of natural gas instead of coal or coke in TZZ protected zone. The name Taj Trapezium Zone is so named because of the protected area of 10,400 sq km shaped like a trapezoid.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 30, 2018 04:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).