Once a pioneering industrial hub specialising in the manufacturing of leather shoes, cast iron pipes and foundry products, glassware, and handicrafts, Agra’s industrial scene today is simply put “depressing and dismal.”

With nine MLAs, three MPs, and one mayor all belonging to the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party, citizens in Agra are asking when will the water supply position in the eco-sensitive Taj Trapezium zone improve and the environmental conditions change for the better.

As Sri Krishna-Radha devotees in Braj Mandal celebrate the birthday of Yamuna recently their hearts are filled with disgust and frustration to see the plight of the river which is the lifeline of millions of people from Delhi to Agra.

A quarter-century of environmental activism, and a series of judicial interventions by the apex court, have not fundamentally changed the ecological conditions in the Taj Trapezium Zone, spread over 10,400 sq km. The pollution level continues to remain alarming, affecting both humans and stone.

The ruling Bhartiya Janata Party is locked in a battle with its own former and present royalists. Candidates whose names have been announced in the Braj prant are facing a stiff challenge from those aspirants who have been denied the party tickets. To get full access to this story, "Subscribe Now", in just Re.1 for the next 24 hours.

Questions are doing rounds here on the propriety of an ex-governor contesting an assembly election. To get full access to this story, "Subscribe Now", in just Re.1 for the next 24 hours.