The civic authorities, engaged in massive beautification drive and facelift exercises ahead of the Commonwealth Games which should see an influx of at least 100,000 tourists to Agra, the 80-acres of wasteland on Yamuna between the two world heritage monuments the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, remains an "ugly eyesore" that's causing visual pollution and "spoiling the ambience" of the area.

Years of neglect and apathy have reduced the  Taj Corridor an unofficial graveyard and a dumping ground for civic garbage. Stones lining the platform have been regularly disappearing. The ADA (Agra Development Authority) last week repaired the wall and mounted gates to restrict entry to what is described as "Court Property."

Neither the Supreme Court nor the Archaeological Survey of India seem interested in deciding one way or the other what needs to be done with the stone-paved platform on 80 acres of land reclaimed from the river Yamuna to build amusement parks, malls and night bazaars to cater to the tourists.

When tourists look at the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort what they see in front of them is disturbing to most: heaps of stinking garbage, carcasses, graves of children dotting the structure, mounds of rubble collected from the city inviting not just mosquitoes, dogs, snakes, crows and vultures. "Such an ugly sight near the world's most beautiful monument the Taj can be repulsive and nauseating,"said Neena an NRI tourist.

The Archeological Survey of India needs at least Rs 50 crores to transform the area into a green cover, lush green lawns and bushes, to enable tourists to stroll around at leisure or watch the beauty of the Taj from a distance. ASI's application with the apex court is pending for years waiting for disposal.

The UP Jal Nigam, the Agra Development Authority and the State Tourism department have refused to provide the funds. Mayawati government has no interest in the partially completed structure constructed by National Projects Corp Ltd.

"The Taj Corridor project, one thought would be taken up again by Mayawati, but she doesn't want to hear of it. It is possible with local support, involving the citizens and the NGOs to clean up the area before the rains hit Agra and sprinkle fertilizers on the sandy platform. A little care and we should have lush green grass growing. But because of the Supreme Court no body is taking any initiative," Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

When Mayawati took over the reins of the state hope was rekindled that the Corridor project might be restarted, but the ruling dispensation in Lucknow does not even like mention of the project, say BSP local leaders. Right now the 'corridor' is a huge heap of mud and rubbish that is being used as a graveyard to bury dead children and for depositing animal carcasses- a source of pollution for the Yamuna that flows behind the Taj. The local minister Narayan Singh as also the BSP legislators Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pratap Singh Baghael and others refuse to comment on the future of the Corridor.

The Rs.175 crore Taj Corridor project was to come up between two heritage monuments, the Taj and Agra Fort, along the river Yamuna, on a platform raised from scooped silt of the river.

According to the company assigned the task, there was a plan to construct an amusement park, malls, commercial shops, and walkways through dense wilderness to allow tourists take a leisurely stroll in moonlit nights.

The corridor was to begin right from Khan-e-Alam, close to the Taj Mahal, and end two kilometres towards the city behind Agra Fort. It was to be extended later to allow tourists to reach Etmauddaula and Ram Bagh on the other side of the river.

For three months, hundreds of tractors, earthmovers and machines worked round the clock to dig out silt and deposit it on the riverbank to create a new platform, which was laid with Rajasthani stones.

But after a hue and cry from conservationists that the corridor would endanger the monument and allegations of large-scale corruption in the project, the central government suspended it in 2003.

The Supreme Court is seized of the matter and a ban on new construction at the site remains in force.

The officials of the ASI doubt if the Supreme Court would allow anyone to even come close to reopening the chapter, least of all start construction at the site again.

"The case is already under the scanner of the apex court," said a source in ASI. Interestingly, there have been no serious objections to the corridor from ASI, which oversees all ancient monuments in India.

The picture is further confused by the Supreme Court's last order, which did not direct the concerned authorities to dismantle the corridor project but called for greening it.

Some people in Agra still feel the project was a victim of politics.

"The previous NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government used it as an excuse to settle scores with Mayawati in 2003," alleged Dalit activist Netra Pal Singh.

Some say the project could genuinely boost tourism, as it was envisaged to be located between the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort, both heritage monuments.

"It might even help save the dying river Yamuna once people start coming to the lush green lawns of the corridor. A rethinking with an open mind is called for," said environmental activist Rajan Kishore.

"Now that a platform has already come up, it can be cleaned up and used for various social and cultural activities. Even a night bazaar can come. The hotels can be roped in. The army unit stationed nearby and in the Fort can be asked to supervise. We need to innovate and improvise rather than keep complaining," Kishore adds.

The grim reality is that the tourism bodies and the ASI have no time to work out promotional strategies and solve problems. "They should bring the issue to the notice of the apex court and ask for directives," says handicrafts exporter Abhinav Jain.