River activists in Agra are up in arms over the government's delay in executing the Supreme Court's directive to de-silt the Yamuna riverbed.

Though a lot of water has flown down the river Yamuna in Agra after the 1993 intervention by the Supreme Court to protect the Taj Mahal and other world heritage sites in the Taj Trapezium Zone the environmental crisis has only worsened over the years.

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.