Well met by midnight?

But the grandiose plans soon ran into controversy. While the Supreme Court put a stay on the decision to open the Taj for night viewing, it granted permission for visitors to enter the Taj for three nights from December 22.The practice was stopped in 1985, when militancy in Punjab was at its peak. Threat from militants was theostensible reason for keeping it closed. A security committee comprising G.C. Saxena, governor of Jammu amp; Kashmir, had then assessed the threat perception and recommended the stopping of night viewing.

To tourism authorities, however, the situation is quite different today. What has come as a shot in their arm is the Archaeological Survey of India ASI giving its no-objection to night viewing of Taj.

But noted lawyer and Magsaysay award winner M.C. Mehta filed a Public Interest Litigation PIL in Supreme Court and obtained a stay on the decision. But the UP government is filing a review petition on the apex court8217;s decision.

Mehta, when contacted, said that Taj was not the property of the tourism department and that it should not be exposing the monument to more vandalism and threat from terrorists. Remarks Mehta,8220;Instead of exploiting Taj as an industry, the tourism people should be trying to protect and preserve the monument and make its live another 4,000 years.8221;

Mehta argues that as thingsare, the Taj was open to the public from 6 am to 7.30 pm. 8220;How much longer do they want it to be opened? All kinds of people visit it and vandalise and disfigure the marble and the inlays. This, apart from the serious threat from pollution. All efforts should be made to preserve it,8221; he says.

According to Mehta, if anyone wanted to enjoy the beauty of Taj at night 8212; and reams have been written about its splendour on a full moon night 8212; he or she could view it from outside or from Mehtaab Bagh. 8220;In fact, Mehtaab Bagh had been built for this very purpose and even the Mughals used to view it from there,8221; says Mehta, now known nationally and internationally for his public interest litigation.

He has not forgotten 8212; or forgiven 8212; the government for allowing Greek pop star, Yanni, to stage a concert on the banks of the Yamuna, with the Taj Mahal as its backdrop. 8220;The monument suffered a lot of damage during the concert. The noise levels were extremely high and even the lights were very powerfulcausing irreversible damage. But again the government is going to make the same mistake by allowing the millennium festival,8221; says Mehta angrily.

A committee had been set up by Supreme Court following the controversy over the Yanni show. It has now filed its report with some recommendations. Says Mehta,8220;The Supreme Court had accepted the report and some of the recommendations are yet to be implemented.8221;

According to him, any kind of grand function would make Taj a more vulnerable target for terrorists. 8220;Any gathering of celebrities and VIPs will make it easier for the terrorists to strike there,8221; he says.8220;Being a declared World Heritage Site, the monument is a universal property. It should be respected, protected and preserved for posterity and not allowed to decay due to events and matters over which the authorities cannot exercise control. The commercial exploitation of this unique monument of supreme architectural, aesthetic and cultural value should not be done at the risk of security, safety,upkeep and maintenance.8221;

However, state tourism minister Ashok Yadav said that the government would definitely seek a review of the decision and try to get the interim stay by Supreme Court vacated. 8220;It is a big disappointment for us. I fail to understand why a stay should be granted for security reasons since the Union home ministry had given us the no-objection certificate after a massive security drill,8221; he said.

Even the police sniffer dogs on duty at Taj were changed after the home ministry pointed out that the dogs brought in were very old, the minister said. 8220;Nothing was left to chance. Everything was taken care of. But we are not giving up and are definitely filing a review petition,8221; he adds.

ASI DG Ajay Shankar reveals that his organisation gave its no-objection clearance to night viewing of the Taj after checking the security drill envisaged thoroughly. 8220;But our position is always subject to the approval of Home Ministry. Now it is the UP government which is handling the matter. Theyhave agreed to give ASI 50 per cent of the proceeds generated from the festival,8221; he says.

Once again then, the Taj Mahal 8212; Emperor Shah Jehan8217;s ultimate tribute to the memory of his dead begum 8212; is in the eye of the storm. What Shah Jehan would have made of all this is, of course, only a matter of conjecture.