Over 100 fully-grown trees along the 25-feet high wall on the eastern side of the Taj Mahal not only threaten to cause structural damages but also pose security threat to the monument of love.
This input provided recently by the UP Government in the aftermath of the bomb blast in Bodh Gaya in Bihar has pushed panic button in Archeological Survey of India (ASI), which is likely to seek the permission of the Supreme Court to bring down the trees ‘endangering’ the UNESCO listed monument.
Sources said that the trees have grown up to the height of the 25-feet of the wall near the Mehman Khana (guesthouse to the east of the mausoleum) while some have come up on the edge of the brick pavements of the medieval age at the site with their roots spread out, causing possible structural damage to the foundation of the monument.
“The alluvial soil of Yamuna River is fertile for the trees which are growing at a rapid pace. While just the structural threats due to them were being assessed, the observation by a review meeting by the UP Government on the security aspect has alarmed the authorities,” said the sources.
The officials at the meeting which is held every three months to review the security of the monument noted that these Eucalyptus (Safeda) and Papri trees offers an easy access to the trespassers to the Taj.
With the State Forest Department expressing its inability to take action in the matter in view of a PIl already filed in the Supreme Court in another matter, the ASI has decided to move ahead to seek permission to fell trees.
The sources said that the ASI has already chalked out plans to transplant the felled trees at a nearby land acquired by it for the residential purpose for the personnel from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which guard the innermost security rings around the monument. The meeting of the security committee took place after two-three days of the bomb blast in Bodh Gaya.
Soon after the blast, barricading came up at the three gates and police and PAC jawans were deployed all over Mehtab Bagh behind the Taj which provides an easy access to the monument. The State Government has also sanctioned 300 more police personnel exclusively for the security of the Taj. The authorities have issued orders for round the clock power supply around the Taj to ensure uninterrupted functioning of electronic gadgets forming the part of security blanket.
Police and PAC jawans have been deployed at all strategic points in these locations and visitors are being screened through hand-held (HHMD) and door-frame metal detectors (DFMD) on the Taj’s premises by CISF contingent.