'They Built Taj Mahal, You Can't Build a Road': Supreme Court Pulls up Uttar Pradesh

New Delhi: The Mughals built the Taj Mahal with hammer and chisel but even with all the modern tools, the Uttar Pradesh government has failed to build a proper road around the world-famous monument, the Supreme Court said today.

The sharp rebuke came as the top court was hearing a petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh government seeking permission to build a cobbled stone road instead of a bitumen road near the monument.

"Taj Mahal was built in the 17th century by hands, hammer and chisel.  But your government can't build a proper road with modern tools," the court said.
 The Uttar Pradesh government was arguing that bitumen roads add to pollution during summer. As per a study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, cobbled stone roads which have a lifespan of 50 years, do not have this problem.

The Supreme Court said that the idea was good but questioned whether the choice was right considering "once the road is done, it will be dug up by water and electricity departments".

The Supreme Court sought a report from the Archaeological Survey of India on the new road project and said the case will be taken up on December 14.