SC dismisses plea seeking to declare Agra ‘heritage city’

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking to declare Agra a “heritage city” and said there is nothing to show that such a declaration would give the city any special advantage.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed the application filed in a 1984 PIL on the protection and preservation of the iconic Taj Mahal and its adjoining areas.

“Nothing has been placed on record to show that there will be any special advantage to the city. Moreover, this court cannot grant any such declaration. Interlocutory application is dismissed,” the bench ordered.

During the hearing, the bench asked the counsel what advantage the city would get if it was declared a heritage city and what were the provisions under the law for such a declaration.

The counsel said that Agra needed to be declared a heritage city as it has a history of over 1,000 years and several historic monuments which need to be preserved.

“Declaring Agra a heritage city would give a boost to tourism, help create employment and preserve the area,” the counsel added.

Justice Oka observed that there was hardly anything smart in a city that has been declared a “smart city”.

“Similarly, how does it help Agra city by declaring it a heritage city? Does Agra become cleaner by the declaration? If it does not help, then it will be an exercise in futility,” the bench observed.

Justice Oka said that this court is already looking into the matter of protection and preservation of the Taj Mahal and the maintenance of the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).

The TTZ is an area of about 10,400 square kilometres spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.

The apex court has been monitoring development in the area to protect the Taj Mahal.

The construction of the Taj Mahal was completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The ivory-white marble mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.