New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered demolition of a parking lot being constructed within a km of the Taj Mahal — a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Agra.

A Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur ordered state government authorities in Agra to demolish the parking lot for tourists in four weeks as it was being built within a km of the eastern gate of the monument of love.

Known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal was built between 1632 and 1653 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. She had died in 1631 while giving birth to their 14th child.

After environmentalist MC Mehta filed a PIL, the SC has been passing orders, including closure of polluting industries in Agra, for conservation of the Taj since the 1980s.

At the outset of the hearing, the Bench sought to know if the counsel for the Uttar Pradesh Government was present. When it was told that no advocate was present on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh Government, it said the parking lot built near the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal would be demolished.

Later, Uttar Pradesh Government’s standing counsel Aishwarya Bhati mentioned the matter before the Bench and sought recall of the order. But the Bench asked her to move an appropriate restoration application.

The order comes barely two days before Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to the Taj Mahal, which hit national headlines after being dropped from the state government’s tourism booklet. Later, it was mentioned as a place of pride in the Uttar Pradesh Government’s 2018 calendar. Adityanath is to visit Agra on October 26 to review tourism schemes.