City of the Taj is being spruced up to accord a grand welcome to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who are scheduled to visit Agra on April 16.
Security has already been tightened. Intelligence officials are camping in the city for the past several days to keep a track on the unwanted elements. The hoteliers in the city have stopped giving rooms to tourists from Pakistan and other terror-hit countries like Syria, Iraq and Turkey.
The royal couple is scheduled to spend nearly two hours at the Taj Mahal. The whole area from Kheria airport to the Taj Mahal is being spruced up and sanitised for this high profile visit.
According to District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar the distinguished visitors are expected to take a guided tour along with the British delegation for nearly two hours. After dinner the royal couple and other British officials will depart for New Delhi, from where they will leave for london on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.
Officials said arrangements for setting up of customs and immigration counters are being made separately at Agra's Kheria Airport. The royal couple will receive a red-carpet welcome and the ceremonial lounge at the airport will be kept reserved for them.
Taking into consideration the high profile of the distinguished visitors, the royal couple and the entire delegation accompanying them, will be exempt from pre-embarkation security checks at the airport at the time of departure, officials said.
Archaeological Survey of India(ASI) officials said that the scaffolding around the minarets will not be dismantled as was being suggested so that the royal visitors get a "fair and unobstructed glimpse" of the 17th century monument of love.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had visited the 17th century marble monument in 1961. later lady Diana, mother of Prince William, visited the Taj Mahal in 1992. It will be the first time after the Diana that someone from the British royal family will be visiting the monument of love.