The Supreme Court has directed the central government agencies to remove silt, garbage, and sludge from the Yamuna river bed in Agra. The order said that the river bed should be de-silted and all filth removed expeditiously.

When candidates of different political parties come to ask for votes for the municipal elections on May 4, they are sure to face a battery of uncomfortable questions on road safety and the threats to life not only from machines but also from the exploding simian, bovine and canine populations in the urban areas.

Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal and several other architectural wonders which attract lakhs of visitors from all parts of the globe annually, is unfortunately dying.

 A nine-member committee constituted by Agra mayor Navin Jain will decide the birth date of this historical city. The committee includes journalists, activists, and historians who will decide when Agra was born and who founded it. This initiative could also open up Pandora’s box of controversies.

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.”

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.