This, he said had been done as new rules have come into force, according to which construction within 300 meters of a protected monument is regulated and can be continued after green signaling by the ASI headquarters.

The bridge on the river Yamuna was slated to be completed before the Commonwealth Games October 2010. More than half the work is already over, according to the site workers and engineers.

Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society president Surendra Sharma welcomed the ASI initiative "which was long overdue. They should not have in the first place allowed construction so close, hardly 200 meters from the Etmauddaula. They had misled the officials. Even the local ASI officials had goofed and ignored the protests from conservationists."

The controversial bridge is not likely to be completed now, as the ASI headquarter is firm on following its latest norms. "Especially after the Taj Heritage Corridor controversy, the ASI has become particularly sensitive to these issues," an official said.

The local conservationists were particularly angry as the new bridge suddenly turned right in violation of the original design submitted. "This would have obscured the view of the beautiful Mughal building Etmauddaula, older than the Taj Mahal, causing visual pollution," said Ravi Singh, a conservationist.

The problem is that these people never follow any guidelines nor are they concerned about heritage conservation. "In fact there have been gross violation of heritage conservation guidelines and every time the ASI has reacted late.  This time too the ASI has woken up late after more than half the bridge is complete," comments hotelier Sandip Arora.