NEW DELHI: As Taj Trapezium Zone Authority, a high-powered committee which has been entrusted the task to curb the pollution level in a 10,400 sq km surrounding Taj, failed to carry out its duty and court terming it “complete flop”, the Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine revamping of the authority with an independent person heading it.

An eight-member TTZ authority was set up in 1998 by the Centre with Agra zone commissioner heading it. The other seven members comprising a representative from Archaeological Survey of India, Central Pollution Control Board, UP State Pollution Control Board, ministry of petroleum and natural gas , ministry of environment and forests, deputy inspector general of police from Agra range and Vice-Chairman of Agra Development Authority.

Taj Trapezium Zone(TTZ) - a 10,400 sq.km trapezium-shaped area covering the five districts of the Agra region. The TTZ comprises over 40 protected monuments including three World Heritage Sites — the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. The authority was given the task to monitor the progress of the implementation of various schemes for protection of the Taj Mahal and programmes for protection and improvement of the environment in the above area.

As the increasing pollution level emerged as the biggest threat to Taj Mahal which is becoming green and blue in patches, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta decided to examine a plea for overhauling of the authority after noted environmentalist and lawyer M C Mehta contended that the authority should not be headed by government official and an independent person should be appointed as its chairman.

“TTZ should be headed by an independent person with a vision,” Mehta told the bench.

Agreeing to examine the issue, the court asked the UP government to take a stand on it. Attorney General K K Venugopal and additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state, said that the state had no objection and the government would file a response.

The Centre also informed the court that the joint secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the commissioner of the Agra Division are responsible for maintenance of the Taj Trapezium Zone. The court thereafter said that all affidavit filed in the case would be done through them.

The court has been monitoring the case for the last 31 years and it had restrained authority not to cut down any tree without its permission in Taj Trapezium Zone.

