A state-run company building a tourist complex near the Taj Mahal pulled back its cranes and earth-filling equipment Sunday after the federal government said the project violated laws protecting the 17th-century monument. Federal Tourism and Culture Minister Jagmohan, who visited the white-marble Taj Mahal on Sunday, said the new structure could divert the flow of Jamuna River waters during monsoon rains, flooding a sprawling garden in the area and damaging the monument.
THE TAJ MAHAL was built by Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan as a monument of love for his favorite wife, Mumtazmahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child. An army of 20,000 stone masons, gem cutters, marble fitters and laborers toiled for 22 years to build the stunning world-famous monument.
The proposed tourism complex would be a 1.25-mile corridor with shopping malls, amusement parks and restaurants on the banks of the Jamuna River, which flows behind the Taj Mahal.
The development would stand just 330 yards from the monument.
Jagmohan, who uses one name, said he asked the northern Uttar Pradesh state government to investigate how the $40 million project near the Taj Mahal originally was approved without federal authorization.
He said no permission was obtained from his ministry, which is responsible for the upkeep of historical monuments.
Last week, the state-run Archaeological Survey of India filed a police complaint against the state-run National Project Construction Corp., which was hired by the Uttar Pradesh state government for the project.
On Saturday, the Times of India cited UNESCO officials in New Delhi as saying the U.N. body might be forced to strike the Taj Mahal off its World Heritage List if the project goes ahead.© 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.