June 23, 2003	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 22,1424

NEW DELHI, June 22: The Indian government has abruptly halted work on a massive entertainment complex near the Taj Mahal amid concerns the country’s top tourist attraction could lose its World Heritage status.

Culture Minister Jagmohan was visiting the nearby town of Agra on Sunday after ordering a halt to construction of the Heritage Corridor complex.

“I have directed the state government to stop work immediately and will see to it that this Heritage Corridor does not come up. I will not let it happen,” he said on Saturday.

Construction began in November on the collection of upmarket shopping malls, restaurants and entertainment facilities less than a kilometre from the 17th-century mausoleum, which was expected to fill part of the bed of the Yamuna river.

Provincial authorities wanted the Heritage Corridor to link the Taj Mahal with other Agra monuments, enabling tourists to see all the major attractions without needing to visit Agra, which is notorious for its pollution.

The project is reportedly worth 1.75 billion rupees, or 36 million dollars. According to The Times of India, a New Delhi-based firm has been awarded a 3.5-million-dollar contract to fill the Yamuna bed.

The Uttar Pradesh government argues the Heritage Corridor is needed because of a directive by the Supreme Court ordering the closure of shops in front of the Taj Mahal. The court has also barred heavy industry near the mausoleum.

“The Supreme Court had directed us to remove all shops in front of the Taj. We were only trying to relocate them,” R.K. Sharma, principal secretary in charge of environment in Uttar Pradesh, has said.

Culture Minister Jagmohan’s stand was praised by an official with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which has voiced alarm about the project.

“At present the Taj is not on the ‘World Heritage in Danger’ list. But it could be if information and studies (by us) show the new complex would affect the authenticity and integrity of the site and would have a negative visual impact,” R.P. Perera, administrative and programme officer at UNESCO’s New Delhi office, told AFP.