It may not be on the official agenda of the Union Ministry for Tourism and Culture but when UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura calls on Union Minister Jagmohan this Wednesday, one of the topics to figure in their talks will be the Heritage Corridor being built near the Taj Mahal.Jagmohan confirmed yesterday that Matsuura will be visiting him in his office on Wednesday and that their discussion will revolve around heritage, cultural exchanges and conservation. ‘‘The UNESCO office has not given us details of what he wants to discuss but I do expect him to talk about the unauthorised construction of the corridor on the Yamuna bed,’’ he said. ‘‘The UNESCO office has in the past appreciated our stand on the Heritage Corridor. We will explain the matter even to the director-general, if required,” he added.The minister also plans to impress upon the UNESCO official that the unauthorised construction of the corridor had not been sanctioned by the Union Government and that the state machinery has already initiated action against it.Sources also said that a team of experts from UNESCO is expected to visit the Taj Mahal sometime in July-end to review the construction activity and the damage done to the World Heritage Site.Soon after media reports of unauthorised construction, only 300 metres from the ASI protected monuments of Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, UNESCO officials had said the Taj would be declared an ‘‘endangered site’’ by the United Nations body. They had also urged the Union Ministry and the ASI to pull stops to save the monument.The Indian Express on June 20 had reported that a 2-km stretch of the Yamuna bed had been filled with a solid base of soil to a height of 5 feet. A battery of 800-odd labourers were also putting together a 5-feet wall and had completed a stretch of 1600-metre already.This stretch was supposed to house, what is being called the Heritage Corridor, a beautification plan of the Yamuna bed complete with shopping malls, parks, restaurants and entertainment centres, a project apparently being undertaken by the UP government.
