Safety of Taj Mahal; SC order sparks controversy

New Delhi, Dec 8: An order delivered by the Supreme Court once again raised the controversy over Taj Mahal - the monument which keeps India's pride worldwide. The apex court on Wednesday, Dec 7 ordered the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey to check the safety of the monument.

The court asked the ASI to submit its survey report within six weeks. The ASI has been asked to conduct the survey to check how safe Taj Mahal is. Meanwhile, the organisation informed that it would examine whether the white-marble monument had been damaged or not.

To fulfill the survey, the ASI would take help from a group from IIT Kanpur who would laser scan the monument. However, showing the result of its earlier survey, done between 2005 to 2010, the ASI claimed that there is no threat to the safety of the monument.

Supreme Court order came in the wake of raising controversy that Taj Mahal will collapse soon. Citing the media reports on Taj Mahal, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an inquiry over the safety of the monument.

Earlier, it was reported that the 358-year-old historic white domed mausoleum will collapse in less than five years unless the Government of India act to repair its rotting wooden foundation. According to campaigners and politicians, the foundation of the tomb has become brittle and is disintegrating.

OneIndia News