Date:18/09/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/09/18/stories/2004091814631200.htm

National

Taj festivities from Agra Fort

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 17. The Group of Ministers (GoM) coordinating the 350th anniversary celebrations of the Taj Mahal has ended the stalemate over the venue of the inauguration of the yearlong festivities. Working on the premise that Shah Jahan first saw his "monument of love" from the Agra Fort — where he was imprisoned — the GoM today decided that the celebrations would begin from the same premises.

That the celebrations would be launched as scheduled on September 27 but from a different venue — the Agra Fort instead of the Taj itself — was announced here by the Chairman of the GoM and Union Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh, after it met for the first time. While the entire exercise would be a joint venture of the Government of Uttar Pradesh and the Union Ministries of Tourism and Culture, the opening ceremony will be managed by the State Government.

A function every month

With a function each being planned around the 25/26th of every month till February 2005, the GoM decided that the first two functions would be hosted entirely by the State Government and the remaining would be divided evenly between the Ministries of Culture and Tourism. However, the venues of the remaining five functions have not been finalised as a host of clearances are needed for events within the "protected" Taj complex.