AGRA: There are 470 illegal structures, including restaurants, cafes, emporiums, in a restricted area that falls within 500m radius of the Taj Mahal in Agra. Some of these encroachments are decades old, and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had lodged FIRs in majority of these cases but local authorities have not taken any step to remove these.TOI has accessed the list of such illegal structures sent by the director-general of ASI to the UP government and district administration last year for removal.ASI officials claimed that despite the issue being raised several times with the local authorities, encroachments have not been removed.Superintending archeologist Raj Kumar Patel said that the ASIs jurisdiction is limited to filing FIRs in cases of unauthorised construction around protected monuments. The ASI director-generals office has the power to issue demolition notices but it is the duty of the Agra Development Authority (ADA) and local administration to act on them.According to an ASI report, 248 new illegal constructions mushroomed in the radius of 100m to 300m of the protected monument and its sub-circles during 2015-2022. Some of them are within as close as 50m radius of the world heritage site. Currently, construction up to 100m around protected monuments is prohibited, while an area up to 200m beyond the prohibited area is regulated under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, which has stringent rules in terms of construction-related permit. In December 2017, the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) authority filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court maintaining that a "no construction zone" had been declared within 500m radius of the Taj. It was following the apex courts orders in 1996 that the TTZ authority was set up to monitor the progress of implementation of various schemes for Tajs protection."Illegal structures raised in violation of norms flourish with support from local administration as staffers get a cut from money generated by businesses operating from these spaces," said an ASI-approved tourist guide.Divisional commissioner, Ritu Maheshwari, who also heads the ADA and TTZ authority, told TOI on Tuesday, "I will look into the details of the entire matter. Time bound action will be taken to remove illegal constructions and encroachments around the Taj and other monuments."Watch Agras heritage under threat: 470 illegal structures setup near Taj Mahal

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