Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday ordered a probe into reports that bugs breeding in the polluted water of the Yamuna River have infested the Taj Mahal and threaten to disfigure the beauty and splendour of the 17th century marvel of love.a
The Pioneer had carried a news item ‘Putrid Yamuna’s bugs eating up Taj Mahal’ on Sunday reporting that swarms of bugs called Goeldichironomus breeding in the stagnant water of the Yamuna, were infesting the marble walls of the monument.
A UP Government spokesman said on Sunday evening that the Chief Minister had taken the report seriously and asked Divisional Commissioner Agra, District Magistrate Agra, the Archaeological Survey of India and Public Works Department officials to take stock of the situation and suggest a solution.
“laxity on this part will not be tolerated by the Chief Minister,” the spokesman said.
According to a report prepared by St John’s College, the polluted Yamuna has been reduced to a swamp with heavy algal growth and deposits of phosphorus (from ash), which are the primary source of food for this particular species of insect.