NGT slaps notice on Centre, UP over Taj insect attack

A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, UP government, state pollution control board, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and others.

The order came on the plea of activist and Agra resident DK Joshi, who has claimed that dumping of waste in the Yamuna has led to stagnation of the river and “consequently the explosive breeding of an insect called ‘Chironomus Calligraphus’ (Geoldichironomus), which is a biological indicator of water quality and localised water pollution”. 

Referring to a report of the Archaeological Survey of India, the plea, filed through advocate Rahul Chaudhory, said these insects are staining the walls of the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, greenish-black.

“School of Entomology, St John’s School, Agra did a preliminary report on the insect attack to the Taj and found that the presence of the insect that was causing damage to the monument,” the plea said, while seeking constitution of a panel to look into the problem.