- The Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a vision document for protection and preservation of the Taj Mahal within four weeks. The Taj Mahal is a white mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It was commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, in 1632. It is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
- In 1996, the Supreme Court observed that the Taj Mahal has been subjected to chronic pollution from industrial emissions, brick-kilns, vehicular traffic and generator-sets. The toxic air around the monument has been turning its colour to yellow.
- The Supreme Court has asked the authorities to address the issues of a) vehicular traffic, b) industrial pollution operating in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) and c) the water level of the Yamuna River, in the vision document.
- Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) is a defined area around the Taj Mahal to protect the monument from pollution. It spreads over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.
