Taj Today: A News Portal for Braj Region

I found our competitor for Agra News. But I guess, it is just searching on 'Agra' keyworld somewhere. Anyway, you can check it here.

LATA AND AR REHMAN TO BE THE MAIN ATTRACTION

AGRA
JANUARY 14, 2004
The stage is finally set for the 350th birthday celebrations of the Taj Mahal in Agra. UP's tourism minister Naresh Agarwal will open the year long celebrations on January 19 with the long awaited urban haat coming up at the Shilpgram near the Taj. This will be followed by the the ten-day annual cultural expose Taj Mahotsava which will be a spectacular extravaganza.
The organising committee of the festival headed by the divisional commissioner BM Meena has drawn up ambitious plans that include programmes by Lata Mangeshwar and AR Rehman from a stage especially erected on the Yamuna river bed with the magnificent Taj Mahal providing the backdrop. This would be remniscent of the controversial Yanni show in 1998.
The Taj Mahotsava will be opened by the UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav on February 18 and will continue till the 27th. The Lata-Rehman programme will be telecast live for the whole world. Other attractions include folk dances by teams from various states, an all Indian Mushaira, Habib Tanvir's Agra Bazar, and the finale will have Sonu Nigam with Sadhna Sargam.
The organisers assured of full support by the state government are keen that this year's Taj Mahotsava should break fresh grounds and become a memorable event, quite unlike any held before as it would set the tone for events to follow. They are hopeful of securing sponsorship from big players in the consumer industry.
Meanwhile, the venue of the Mahotsava, Shilpgram is being dressed up. The district authorities have launched an anti encroachment drive all the way to the Taj Mahal. Hoardings and illegal projections by shopkeepers have been removed by a combined team of police, the Nagar Nigam and the Agra Development Authority.
An ambitious project has been launched to flood lit the Taj Mahal with soft colourful lights at a cost of Rs 1 crore.
The Central Public Works Department is presently laying the cables at the rear end of the heritage monument which would be seen bathed in diffused colourful lights from the Mehtab Bagh area across river Yamuna.
Archaeological Survey of India sources said the project would be complete within three months. The lights would be installed at a safe distance of about 15 metres from the main structure. Since the Taj can not be viewed in the night due to safety concerns visitors will have to cross the river via the Strachey Bridge to reach Mehtab Bagh which is being developed as a tourist spot. Tourism associations have demanded a make shift pontoon bridge from Dussehra Ghat close to the Taj to enable tourists cross over the river, but the state government has shown no interest so far. The area just behind the Taj is now lush green, quite a transformation from what it used to be, a huge dump yard for garbage.
A package of other projects is slowly being opened up to showcase the Taj in new light. 2004 is the international year of the Taj which will be 350 years old according to the UP tourism department. Historians however do not agree on this. Prof Ram Nath says the Taj completed 350 years in 1998, according to a Persian inscription and references in historical texts. Earlier the idea of celebrating Agra's 500th birthday was dropped after fierce controversies fuelled by sectional interests.
The state government meanwhile has finally decided to set up the long awaited Taj Heritage Monument Authority which will be entrusted with the responsibility to draw up long term plans and implement them for the upkeep of all the monuments in Agra. The new body will strive for better coordination and constant monitoring of projects, according to tourism department sources.
The ASI has decided to develop the Shah Jahan garden near the Taj Mahal to bring it up to international level.
The face of this historical Mughal capital is all set to change for the better if state government agencies are to be believed. The UP government has finally decided to celebrate the 350th year of Taj Mahal in 2004, after fierce controversy over the date of founding of Agra which many historians and lobbies said was much older than 500 years.
The city of Taj Mahal is all set for a major face lift as a package of schemes aimed at boosting tourism is opened in January, beginning with a fantastic ballet on Mughal period. The ten day cultural extravaganza Taj Mahotsava will be a special event this year. Final touches are being given to a special edition of the mela that would provide just the right platform for artistes and artisans to showcase the best of India, according to tourism department sources.
The industry and the sales tax department will jointly collaborate in organising a two month trade fair on the lines of Gwalior Mela where purchases are tax free.
The tourism department has announced holding an international convention of historians to be followed by a joint mushaira of poets from India and Pakistan. Private sponsors are being targeted to organise fashion extravaganzas using the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal as backdrops. An added attraction would be a laser show .
Meanwhile the venue of the Taj Mahotsava Shilpgram is being decked up to be used as the nucleus of year round celebrations.
The Bhartiya Janata Party activists are trying to get the prime minister announce upgrading of the Agra airport as a new international airport with facilities for direct landing and chartered flights. Mr Jag Mohan, the union tourism and culture minister is scheduled to open an exhibition on Mughal architecture in the corridors of the Taj Mahal next month. Tourism Guild sources said a special commemorative stamp on the Taj Mahal would be released later this month at a special programme.
The celebrations are being used by both the Samajwadi Party and the BJP to mobilise public support and image building in an election year.
Hotel and Restaurant Association president Rakesh Chauhan said, with all controversies now settled, the focus was on celebrations and getting a fair deal for Agra which had long been neglected and denied its pride of place. The Central government is yet to announce its participation and unfold its package for promotional activities, he added.
The Agra Nagar Nigam has also announced its plans to project a better image of Agra in 2004. It will focus on cleanliness and road building. The Agra Development Authority has been asked to provide funds for the beautification of the city .
For the moment it looks like 2004 will be the year Agra has long been waiting for its deliverance.
With a broad consensus having been worked out among warring factions of political parties, sectional intersts, caste and community leaders on celebrating 2004 as the Taj International Year instead of 500th birthday of Agra, pressure in now being built on the Mulayam Singh Yadav government to shift the international airport from Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) to Agra.
The three local Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha members have sounded their top leadership about the growing demand for structural reforms if Agra had to be promoted as a number one tourist destination of the country.
After the Sahara group recently announced its decision to start regular flights from Agra to major cities in India, the tourism industry has started stressing the urgent need for upgrading the local Kheria airport presently under the control of the Air Force, as an international airport with facilities for direct and chartered flights from international destinations.
Tourism bodies are upbeat for the moment as they expect a package of major concessions from both the state and central government to boost up tourism in Agra which will be celebrating the Taj International Year in 2004.
Sources close to Raj Babbar, local MP, say that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav himself is keen that the airport project should be shifted from Mayawati's area to Agra which happens to be the karma bhoomi of the chief minister.
The Rs 1000 crore airport project was to be shared by the state, central government and private players. The international airport at Agra, say the tourism industry leaders would help the neighbouring areas of Bharatpur and Gwalior. Agra, already a favourite destination of most foreign tourists has consistently been neglected for political reasons. But now with Mulayam Singh Yadav coming to power there was hope the city would at last get a fair deal, they add.
Meanwhile, the Indian railways have worked out a plan to start a heritage train train with designer bogies and a steam engine, between Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, 35 kms away. A survey was conducted last week by senior officials including the commercial and traffic managers.
The Divisional Railway Manager Rajeev Sinha confirmed that there was a plan to run the train as a special project in 2004 which is being celebrated as the 350th birth day of the Taj Mahal. But he added that the dates had not been finalised as yet. Even before the plan comes through, local environmental groups have opposed the idea. The steam engine can not be used in the sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone because use of steam coal is totally prohibited under the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court. The ban was imposed way back in 1978 on the recommendation of Dr S Vardharajan committee to save the Taj from environmental pollution.

AGRA
JANUARY 6, 2004
NOT JUST human beings even monkeys are feeling the heat of the intense cold wave this January. While voluntary agencies like the Sri Nath ji Nishulk Jal Sewa have put up a dozen night shelters for the poor, a municipal corporator Rakesh Jain has opened a shelter for the monkeys on his terrace.
On the death anniversary of his father Rakesh dedicated this shelter for the comfort of monkeys who are chased away from one roof top to the other. With lots of trees being unscrupulously chopped off there are few resting places left in the city for the monkeys.
Rakesh felt concerned about the plight of the hapless monkeys some days ago when half a dozen of them collapsed in the Taj Ganj area due to cold. Each day the monkeys at the shelter are fed 25 dozen bananas, five kilogram guavas and 12 packets of bread.
A few days ago simian-friendly residents of Taj Ganj took out a Viman Yatra for half a dozen holy monkeys who died of severe cold. On the way they were joined by grief stricken monkeys on the final march to the shamshan ghat where the last rites were carried out.
Spirited volunteers collected funds from the devouts in Nanda Bazar and Choti Pathwari to arrange for a decorated viman on a cart in which dead bodies of the monkeys were placed with stately honours, flowers, garlands, colourful balloons, gulal et all. A band blared mournful tunes. The hordes of monkeys soon descended and watched the yatra from roof tops with concern. Some seemed to be on the verge of crying as monkey lovers began the last journey. Such a spectacle, the locals said, had never been witnessed before. "We saw the monkeys crying and tearing their hair, beating their breasts for the dead," said an eye witness. As the procession moved ahead, hordes of monkeys watched from the tree tops and roofs bidding farewell to their dear departed.
In the past two days over a dozen monkeys have succumbed to death due to cold.

NO UNNECESSARY ABORTIONS AND NO SEX DETERMINATION TESTS PLEDGE TAKEN
SUSHMA SWARAJ SUGGESTS EVERY NINTH TO BE RESERVED FOR FREE COUNSELLING FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

AGRA
JANUARY 7, 2004
UNION HEALTH Minister Sushma Swaraj outlined the contours of a new Vande Matraram scheme for pregnant women. Doctors attending the 47th All India Congress of Gynaecologists and Obstetricians were asked to reserve the ninth day of every month for counselling pregnant women after making them say Vande Matram
The four day convention opened here amidst shouting of slogans Save Girl Child and Long Live Women's health. Over 5000 gynaecologists and obstetricians from all over India and many from a dozen countries are participating in the mega event which has been described as the Maha Kumbh of Lady doctors.
Sushma Swaraj said health of women was important for the country's progress. Under the new scheme private and government doctors would offer their services free to pregnant women every ninth day of the month.
Doctors attending the conference have signed up a pledge that they would not carry out abortions if these followed sex determination tests and aimed at killing the female foetus. "It is a social evil," they said.
The outgoing president of FOGSI Dr Sadhna Desai said one of the key achievement in the past year had been the starting of the help line service for women to counsel them on contraception.
Secretary health PK Hota said the new Vande Matram scheme would be formally launched from February 9.
The conference will continue till January 9.

BOMB SCARE IN SANJAY PLACE COMMERCIAL AREA

AGRA
JANUARY 5, 2004
THE POLICE today arrested two persons from Agra Cantonment area. One of them has been described as a Pakistani intelligence agent caught with some incriminating papers including a map.
In the Sanjay Place commercial complex government offices were closed later in the after noon after a bomb scare. According to the police a petroleum company in the area was phoned by some unidentified person informing that a bomb had been planted and would explode between 4 and 4.30 pm. The message spread like wild fire and offices were deserted within minutes.
The bomb disposal unit team searched the area and found no bomb or explosive. A senior official said it could have been a hoax call or a plain prank.

AGRA
January 1, 2004
AKBAR'S CHURCH in Agra, the oldest church of north India, is threatened by utter neglect. It is neither the Archaeological Survey of India's baby nor a concern of the Agra Arch Diocese which is supposed to look after this heritage property.
The Archaeological Survey of India probably finds nothing of archaeolocial value in it. No efforts have been made to acquire the monument and conserve it for posterity. "We really do not know why the monument has not been acquired by the ASI. Perhaps the Archaeological Survey of India is not even aware of its existence," said an official of the ASI, not wanting to be quoted.
Parish priest Father F D'Cunha told the Hindustan Times that a plan had been drawn up for its renovation in a couple of months. "The main problem is that we are not able to find an architect who can use the same material and bring back the original texture and ambience. The huge breach at the rear needs to be plugged and so has the nullah down under to ensure long life to the 400 year old monument. We recently carpeted the floor spending Rs 1 lakh and are prepared to spend more to restore its grandeur," Father D'Cunha said.
The church, close to the Archbishop's residence in the St Peter's College campus, looks fatigued and sick, with cracks and plaster peeling off at many places. The roof too has developed cracks through which rain water seeps in. The Diocese has shown little or no interest in its conservation as is evident from the thick layers of black algae all over. A huge generator that roars round the clock has been placed close to the fragile structure, the vibrations damaging the church which many locals now feel should be transferred to the ASI. They fear that this valuable heritage piece could be lost to posterity if the ASI's expertise was not used immediately to carry out urgent repairs.
The church is a vital relic of Mughal history and should be properly publicised in order to attract visitors, says Surendra Sharma, founder president of Hotel and Restaurant Association. Most people in Agra are not even aware of its existence, nor does the tourism department make a mention of the church in its publicity brochures, Sharma adds.
This 400 year old church has seen many ups and downs and faced numerous human assaults as well as nature's fury. It has been a mute witness to political intrigues, religious intolerance as also the dedicated perseverence of the early Christian missionaries in north India.
Ironically it also emobodies the essentials of secularism propounded by Akbar through his highly eclectic Din-e-Ilahi. Built of lime and sandstone this humble structure stands adjacent to the majestic Cathedral built in the 19th century. The modest structure is no architectural marvel in a city that abounds with numerous attractions. But as a symbol of Akbar's vision and the dogged steadfastness of the Jesuit priests it has few parallels.
The church was built around 1600 AD after Akbar's firman of 1599 granted permission tothe reverend fathers to erect in the city a house for divine worship. Since the constructions of the church was neither attractive nor spacious enough prince Salim (Jahangir) donated 1000 crowns to carry out extensive improvements.
Khwaja Martin, a rich merchant and Mirza Zul Qarnain who was treated as his real brother by Akbar, also made significant financial contributions. The famous French traveller Francois Bernier described the church as a beautiful and large building with a tower whose bells could be heard all over the city. Two more bells were added later. Both Akbar and Jahangir were occasional visitors to the church. Later the church was partially demolished on orders from Jahangir who got infuriated with the Portuguese. The priests were driven away, but they continued to worship and gradually with local support rebuilt the structure which once again became victim of a cruel fire. But again some help came forth from well meaning merchants and army officials who donated generously for its restoration. The church has had a chequered history and many ups and downs and though not a famous tourist spot, it continues to draw the faithfuls who spend hours meditating in the peace and tranquility offered here far away from the madding crowd's reach.
The church is a piece of history, a symbol of man's indomitable spirit to rise from the ashes and should therefore be preserved at every cost, say the historians and concerned citizens of Agra.

BRAHMKUMARI STILL UNTRACED

January 3, 2004
AGRA
A YOUNG woman from Orissa was burnt alive in the ashram for gyan and shanti belonging to Brahm Kumari Samaj a week ago, but the police and the intelligence agencies are still groping in the dark for the body and other relevant clues which have deliberately been cleared or concealed.
Senior police officials say they are still looking for the kingpins of the ashram who have disappeared after the crime, but a case of murder has been registered at the Etmauddaula thana. The ashram has been sealed.
Residents of the Trans Yamuna colony were shocked to hear shrieking cries, and see leaping flames that almost burnt the ashram at the dead of night. A few vehicles later arrived and carried away what looked like dead bodies, according to eye witnesses. A woman named Bharti from Orissa has since been missing. Police suspect she was burnt alive in the back yard. The police found birth control pills from her room. This has naturally given a sexual twist to the crime. Some people at the centre believe Bharti had self immolated herself. The centre incharges Satya Behan and Anita Behan admit Bharti is no more but they too have no idea about the dead body and who tried to clean up the whole place of vital clues. When the police reached the Ashram around 9 am after the locals informed the thana, the centre incharge told the cops that there was a fire from the stove which was put out promptly.
The headquarters of the Brahmakumari Ashram at Mount Abu have been sounded and efforts are on to sort out the murky mystery, which one ashramite said was part of the conspiracy to malign the movement.
Meanwhile, the police has recovered the white Qualis which was used for transporting the dead body to some unknown place. The driver Prem Singh and two others are still missing. The Ashram incharge said there was no information available about the background of the deceased. The police is either under pressure from some high quarters or is just not interested in the case. No vital breakthrough appears likely as the investigating agencies are seen dragging their feet.
Only ten days ago the big wigs of the Brahmkumari Ashram were in Agra for the inauguration of a new centre near the Taj Mahal by UP governor Acharya Vishnu Kant Shastri.
A senior police official said on Saturday that a person called Hari was having an affair with Bharti and the two were planning to get married soon. Since the Asharma management generally frowns on such relationship, the deceased Bharti was under mental strain for quite some time. At one stage the couple had decided to run away.
The Bharti murder case has become a challenge for the police which has so far failed to work out the case nor nab the three accued in the FIR including Hari, who have all gone underground.

FORMER UP GOVERNOR REDDY ACTS
JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE PRESSURES MULAYAM SINGH YADAV

AGRA
JANUARY 3, 2004
FORMER UP governor B Satya Narayan Reddy has initiated action on the charter of demands submitted to the chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav for the overall development of Agra which has remained a victim of political and administrative neglect for so long. Mr Reddy has written to the UP government to draw up a new master plan for the city which takes into account the growing pressures of urbanisation and population explosion.
The city's Joint Action Committee, a platform of NGOs and over 100 prominent citizens has urged UP chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to initiate action on its charter of demands to the UP governor Vishnu Kant Shastri for the total restructuring and transformation of the grand city of the Mughals which over years has degenerated into a civilisational sink.
PK Jain, a retired PWD engineer who took the intitiative to thrash out a common approach paper with a broad vision of the future, told the Hindustan Times that Agra despite being a top international tourist centre woefully lacked the required infrastructural facilities. "Its growth had remained static and the population was denied basic necessities to lead a decent life," Jain added.
One of Agra's major problems according to Mr RP Singh, an expert in horticulture, is the inadequate availability of drinking water. Under ground water being brackish and unfit for human consumption could not support greenery nor meet the growing human needs.The Yamuna Action Plan had crashed without yielding any tangible results. More than a dozen drains were still releasing untreated water into Yamuna. The factories too had failed to instal treatment plants, Singh added.
The citizens have demanded a comprehensive master plan which took into account the pressures of urbanisation and the growing needs of the over 20 lakh people. The Agra Municipal Corporation, despite the tall claims of the Mayor and the 80 odd corporators, had miserably failed to even solve the garbage problem. Several schemes launched recently for solid waste management have floundered.
Attention has also been drawn to the erratic power supply. Although the Supreme Court has directed the state government to ensure uninterrupted supply of power to the entire Taj Trapezium Zone to discourage use of diesel generators, the Power Corporation has failed to meet the orders. Long hours of interruption force thousands of generators switched on, adding to the overall pollution load in the city. The charter demands opening of two gas based power houses in Agra to take care of the needs of the city.
Poor Traffic management within the city has been a major source of worry for the district authorities, as large number of tourists return disappointed without visiting several historical monuments especially those across the river, says Ashok Kumar Poddar who wants a proper scientific plan put into operation with consultation from Central Roads Research Institute and other specialised bodies. Poddar said several meetings have been held in the past but the recommendations have not been implemented.
Noted theatre personality Dr Jitendra Raghvanshi said the city did not have adequate number of outlets for cultural exposition. "Despite being such an important centre of tourism, Agra did not have a single art gallery, a museum, open air theatre. The state government should develop a multi purpose cultural complex to protect and promote local art forms," Raghvanshi said.
The memorandum wants immediate steps to save the crisis ridden Agra economy which has suffered major blows in recent years as a result of the war on air pollution. The traditional handicrafts units, as also the shoe industry which employs lakhs of people, have to be given a boost, says Ashok Jain of Doctor Soap industries.
Agra needs urgent attention. "A sick city would not be able to provide a healthy ambience for the world class monuments visited by lakhs of foreign and domestic tourists every year," warns social activist Dr Rajan Kishore. In 2004 the least the state and central governments can do is to upgrade the local airport to the international level with direct flights, open the Taj Mahal for night viewing, remove all encroachements within the city and clean up the mess created by years of neglect, suggests noted gynaecologist Dr Shivani Chaturvedi.

TAJ MAHAL TO BE COLOUR LIT
AGRA READY FOR BIG EVENTS

AGRA
January 2, 2004
by MUKTA

An ambitious project has been launched to flood lit the Taj Mahal with soft colourful lights at a cost of Rs 1 crore.
The Central Public Works Department is presently laying the cables at the rear end of the heritage monument which would be seen bathed in diffused colourful lights from the Mehtab Bagh area across river Yamuna.
Archaeological Survey of India sources said the project would be complete within three months. The lights would be installed at a safe distance of about 15 metres from the main structure. Since the Taj can not be viewed in the night due to safety concerns visitors will have to cross the river via the Strachey Bridge to reach Mehtab Bagh which is being developed as a tourist spot. Tourism associations have demanded a make shift pontoon bridge from Dussehra Ghat close to the Taj to enable tourists cross over the river, but the state government has shown no interest so far. The area just behind the Taj is now lush green, quite a transformation from what it used to be, a huge dump yard for garbage.
A package of other projects is slowly being opened up to showcase the Taj in new light. 2004 is the international year of the Taj which will be 350 years old according to the UP tourism department. Historians however do not agree on this. Prof Ram Nath says the Taj completed 350 years in 1998, according to a Persian inscription and references in historical texts. Earlier the idea of celebrating Agra's 500th birthday was dropped after fierce controversies fuelled by sectional interests.
The state government meanwhile has finally decided to set up the long awaited Taj Heritage Monument Authority which will be entrusted with the responsibility to draw up long term plans and implement them for the upkeep of all the monuments in Agra. The new body will strive for better coordination and constant monitoring of projects, according to tourism department sources.
The ASI has decided to develop the Shah Jahan garden near the Taj Mahal to bring it up to international level.
The face of this historical Mughal capital is all set to change for the better if state government agencies are to be believed. The UP government has finally decided to celebrate the 350th year of Taj Mahal in 2004, after fierce controversy over the date of founding of Agra which many historians and lobbies said was much older than 500 years.
The city of Taj Mahal is all set for a major face lift as a package of schemes aimed at boosting tourism is opened in January, beginning with a fantastic ballet on Mughal period. The ten day cultural extravaganza Taj Mahotsava will be a special event this year. Final touches are being given to a special edition of the mela that would provide just the right platform for artistes and artisans to showcase the best of India, according to tourism department sources.
The industry and the sales tax department will jointly collaborate in organising a two month trade fair on the lines of Gwalior Mela where purchases are tax free.
The tourism department has announced holding an international convention of historians to be followed by a joint mushaira of poets from India and Pakistan. Private sponsors are being targeted to organise fashion extravaganzas using the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal as backdrops. An added attraction would be a laser show .
Meanwhile the venue of the Taj Mahotsava Shilpgram is being decked up to be used as the nucleus of year round celebrations.
The Bhartiya Janata Party activists are trying to get the prime minister announce upgrading of the Agra airport as a new international airport with facilities for direct landing and chartered flights. Mr Jag Mohan, the union tourism and culture minister is scheduled to open an exhibition on Mughal architecture in the corridors of the Taj Mahal next month. Tourism Guild sources said a special commemorative stamp on the Taj Mahal would be released later this month at a special programme.
The celebrations are being used by both the Samajwadi Party and the BJP to mobilise public support and image building in an election year.
Hotel and Restaurant Association president Rakesh Chauhan said, with all controversies now settled, the focus was on celebrations and getting a fair deal for Agra which had long been neglected and denied its pride of place. The Central government is yet to announce its participation and unfold its package for promotional activities, he added.
The Agra Nagar Nigam has also announced its plans to project a better image of Agra in 2004. It will focus on cleanliness and road building. The Agra Development Authority has been asked to provide funds for the beautification of the city .
For the moment it looks like 2004 will be the year Agra has long been waiting for its deliverance.
With a broad consensus having been worked out among warring factions of political parties, sectional intersts, caste and community leaders on celebrating 2004 as the Taj International Year instead of 500th birthday of Agra, pressure in now being built on the Mulayam Singh Yadav government to shift the international airport from Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) to Agra.
The three local Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha members have sounded their top leadership about the growing demand for structural reforms if Agra had to be promoted as a number one tourist destination of the country.
After the Sahara group recently announced its decision to start regular flights from Agra to major cities in India, the tourism industry has started stressing the urgent need for upgrading the local Kheria airport presently under the control of the Air Force, as an international airport with facilities for direct and chartered flights from international destinations.
Tourism bodies are upbeat for the moment as they expect a package of major concessions from both the state and central government to boost up tourism in Agra which will be celebrating the Taj International Year in 2004.
Sources close to Raj Babbar, local MP, say that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav himself is keen that the airport project should be shifted from Mayawati's area to Agra which happens to be the karma bhoomi of the chief minister.
The Rs 1000 crore airport project was to be shared by the state, central government and private players. The international airport at Agra, say the tourism industry leaders would help the neighbouring areas of Bharatpur and Gwalior. Agra, already a favourite destination of most foreign tourists has consistently been neglected for political reasons. But now with Mulayam Singh Yadav coming to power there was hope the city would at last get a fair deal, they add.
Meanwhile, the Indian railways have worked out a plan to start a heritage train train with designer bogies and a steam engine, between Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, 35 kms away. A survey was conducted last week by senior officials including the commercial and traffic managers.
The Divisional Railway Manager Rajeev Sinha confirmed that there was a plan to run the train as a special project in 2004 which is being celebrated as the 350th birth day of the Taj Mahal. But he added that the dates had not been finalised as yet. Even before the plan comes through, local environmental groups have opposed the idea. The steam engine can not be used in the sensitive Taj Trapezium Zone because use of steam coal is totally prohibited under the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court. The ban was imposed way back in 1978 on the recommendation of Dr S Vardharajan committee to save the Taj from environmental pollution.

AGRA:
COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS and traders have decided to organise a big IT and communication fair in January next at hotel Holiday Inn. This would be the fourth such IT fair in Agra and the biggest bringing together companies from all over India on a single platform. Vaibhav Chibber, a key promoter told the Hindustan Times that Agra was emerging as a major IT centre catering to areas upto Kanpur in the east, Gwalior in the south and several districts in Rajasthan in addition to the seven districts of Agra division. Chibber said the IT fair will lead to more openings for the locals who have been hit by the shrinking of jobs after the closure of polluting industries in Agra. The coming IT fair will conincide with the celebrations of Agra's 500th birthday, he added.

AGRA
JANUARY 1, 2004
THANKS TO the UP Power Corporation, most areas in Agra went without lights dampening spirits and slowing the pitch of new year eve celebrations. Early Thursday morning the lights went off again for six hours at a stretch and as expected no explanations were given. People in several colonies complained of power break down which prevented them from watching their popular television programmes. The Trans Yamuna colony went without light for more 20 hours after a transformer developed a fault. Dayalbagh and Shahid Nagar areas too were without light for several hours.
Officials at the Sanjay Place sub station said there was tremendous pressure on the supply as many people had illegally switched on their room heaters. Due to the new year eve a record number of programmes have been organised, said a linesman. Since most hotels and big houses have diesel generators and invertors, the high society people had little knowledge about how the vast multitudes were braving the chilly winds in the dark agony.
The rural areas remained enveloped in the dark for more than 14 hours, although the chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has been promising uninterrupted power supply. Most blocks in Shamshabad, Fatehabad, Achnera and Bichpuri have been without light for weeks. Villagers have also been complaining of low voltage and fluctuations.
In the urban areas the supply situation has deteriorated in the past fortnight although the department has shown no laxity in its collection drive. Hundreds of illegal connections and meter tampering cases have come to light during surprise raids conducted by the Power Corporation officials.

AGRA
DECEMBER 31, 2003

FORMER UP Chief Minister Mayawati's favourite Ambedkar Gram Yojana having been pushed back into the oblivion, we now have a new programme for rural development beginning with the identification of villages under the Samagra Gram Yojana.
Since no clear cut guidelines have been issued and no parameters set, the rural development functionaries are totally confused.
The state government has now asked the elected representatives to furnish a list of ten villages from their area, which they think should be taken up for implementing various schemes on a priority basis. The identified villages under the Samagra (composite plan for rural development) scheme will receive funds for road construction and electrification.
Meanwhile, confusion is still to be cleared about the future of Shaheed Grams which were to be identified and special development plans initiated. Officials are unclear whether the Shaheed villages should be those which have lost soldiers in the Kargil war, or the previous wars. The state government has had to resolve several disputes on this score. The extension workers and the NGO functionaries who work in the villages wonder why the state government fails to draw up simple and clear cut programmes based on area wise surveys of the needs of a community. "Politics is the key factor and that is the reason why the goal of diffused prosperity is hard to achieve," adds Vinay Paliwal of ARDA.

BRAHMKUMARI STILL UNTRACED

AGRA
DECEMBER 31, 2003
A YOUNG woman from Orissa was burnt alive in the ashram for gyan and shanti belonging to Brahm Kumari Samaj two days ago, but the police and the intelligence agencies are still groping in the dark for the body and other relevant clues which have deliberately been cleared or concealed.
Senior police officials say they are still looking for the kingpins of the ashram who have disappeared after the crime, but a case of murder has been registered at the Etmauddaula thana. The ashram has been sealed.
Residents of the Trans Yamuna colony were shocked to hear shrieking cries, and see leaping flames that almost burnt the ashram at the dead of night. A few vehicles later arrived and carried away what looked like dead bodies, according to eye witnesses. A woman named Bharti from Orissa has since been missing. Police suspect she was burnt alive in the back yard. The police found birth control pills from her room. This has naturally given a sexual twist to the crime. Some people at the centre believe Bharti had self immolated herself. The centre incharges Satya Behan and Anita Behan admit Bharti is no more but they too have no idea about the dead body and who tried to clean up the whole place of vital clues. When the police reached the Ashram around 9 am after the locals informed the thana, the centre incharge told the cops that there was a fire from the stove which was put out promptly.
The headquarters of the Brahmakumari Ashram at Mount Abu have been sounded and efforts are on to sort out the murky mystery, which one ashramite said was part of the conspiracy to malign the movement.
Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday recovered the white Qualis which was used for transporting the dead body to some unknown place. The driver Prem Singh and two others are still missing. The Ashram incharge said there was no information available about the background of the deceased. The police is either under pressure from some high quarters or is just not interested in the case. No vital breakthrough appears likely as the investigating agencies are seen dragging their feet.
Only ten days ago the big wigs of the Brahmkumari Ashram were in Agra for the inauguration of a new centre near the Taj Mahal by UP governor Acharya Vishnu Kant Shastri.

AMBITIOUS PROJECT TO FLOOD LIT THE TAJ

AGRA
DECEMBER 31, 2003
An ambitious project has been launched to flood lit the Taj Mahal with soft colourful lights at a cost of Rs 1 crore.
The Central Public Works Department is presently laying the cables at the rear end of the heritage monument which would be seen bathed in diffused colourful lights from the Mehtab Bagh area across river Yamuna.
Archaeological Survey of India sources said the project would be complete within three months. The lights would be installed at a safe distance of about 15 metres from the main structure. Since the Taj can not be viewed in the night due to safety concerns visitors will have to cross the river via the Strachey Bridge to reach Mehtab Bagh which is being developed as a tourist spot. Tourism associations have demanded a make shift pontoon bridge from Dussehra Ghat close to the Taj to enable tourists cross over the river, but the state government has shown no interest so far. The area just behind the Taj is now lush green, quite a transformation from what it used to be, a huge dump yard for garbage.
A package of other projects is slowly being opened up to showcase the Taj in new light. 2004 is the international year of the Taj which will be 350 years old according to the UP tourism department. Historians however do not agree on this. Prof Ram Nath says the Taj completed 350 years in 1998, according to a Persian inscription and references in historical texts. Earlier the idea of celebrating Agra's 500th birthday was dropped after fierce controversies fuelled by sectional interests.
The state government meanwhile has finally decided to set up the long awaited Taj Heritage Monument Authority which will be entrusted with the responsibility to draw up long term plans and implement them for the upkeep of all the monuments in Agra. The new body will strive for better coordination and constant monitoring of projects, according to tourism department sources.
The ASI has decided to develop the Shah Jahan garden near the Taj Mahal to bring it up to international level.