Agra: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will on October 26 lead a team of 500 volunteers to launch Swachchata Abhiyan at Taj Mahal's western gate in a symbolic gesture of importance being given to the 17th century monument. Setting to rest the controversy over the Taj Mahal, the CM will reach Agra at 0800 hrs on October 26 and proceed directly to Taj Mahal.
However, before going to Agra, the CM will visit Najibabad in Bijnore district on October 24 to inaugurate a distillery unit of a cooperative sugar mill. During his day-long visit to Agra, CM will dedicate most of his time to touring the Taj Mahal, including a visit to the mausoleum of Shahjahan and his wife Noorjahan. Meanwhile, the Agra district administration has started preparations for his visit .
District magistrate Gaurav Dayal said here on Sunday said that CM will be laying the foundation stone of the proposed Rs 370-crore developmental plan aimed at promoting tourism. A part of this amount has been earmarked for the ongoing Rs 156-crore World Bank-funded pro-poor tourism scheme for development works in the vicinity around Taj Mahal. "Besides inaugurating several development projects, he will be inspecting the Taj Mahal and the vicinity around it. We are making all requisite arrangements in this regard," he added. Yogi had already spoken about several development plans in the pipeline, including the plan to develop a rubber check dam across river Yamuna near the Taj, crucial for its preservation.
According to sources, the municipal corporation was ensuring cleanliness in the vicinity around the Taj, Shah Jahan Garden, Mehtab Bagh, Kachpura and wards of Tajganj locality, which the CM is expected to visit. A senior official of the tourism department said, "Under the pro-poor tourism scheme, CM will lay the foundation stone of three projects — two in Agra and one for Mathura. These are development of a multi-level parking space near the western gate of the Taj, various development works at Kachpura village located near the monument and construction of a pathway between Taj Mahal and Agra Fort.
In Mathura, the entry point of Banke Bihari Temple is proposed to be developed at a cost of Rs 20 crore." Stating that the Taj Mahal is built on "wooden slippers", CM Yogi had said that these slippers have shrunk because of the decrease in the water levels in the Yamuna. "A plan to develop a rubber dam and a riverfront for promotion of tourism has been prepared," he said. (UNI)