Scientific cleaning & conservation plan designed by ASI to protect Taj Mahal: Government

NEW DELHI: The Archaeological Survey of India has formulated a scientific cleaning and conservation plan to protect the surface of the iconic Taj Mahal from deposited pollutants, the Centre told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Minister of state for environment Mahesh Sharma, in a written reply, said according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the pollutants from various sources have been superficially getting deposited on the marble surface of Taj Mahal as particulate matters, and due to scattering of light by these deposited particles, the marble surface appears to have changed in colour.

"The ASI has formulated scientific cleaning and conservation plan to protect the surface of Taj Mahal from deposited pollutants," he said.

"Accordingly, all four minarets, eight facades, four pedestal marble walls, interior portion of the periphery up to human height and four 'chhatries' at the rooftop of the main mausoleum, have already been cleaned and treated. However, the cleaning of the main dome requires some technical studies," he said.

Sharma said the ASI has informed that the water level of Yamuna was away from the northern wall of Taj Mahal.

"Therefore, specific study on the link between Yamuna water and the strength of the foundation of Taj Mahal has not been conducted," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government had recently told the Supreme Court that it had paid 80 per cent money i.e. Rs 51.89 lakh to Delhi-based School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) which is entrusted with the task of preparing a vision document for the protection of Taj Mahal.

Taj Mahal, the monument of love, is among the Seven Wonders of the World.