The National Green Tribunal on Friday has fined Uttar Pradesh government agencies for not responding to a plea stating that large-scale garbage waste is turning the Taj Mahal yellow.

The Tribunal had ordered the state government’s Urban Development ministry, Agra municipal authority and its District Magistrate to pay a fine of Rs 20,000 to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The verdict came after an NGO named Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE) said that a joint report of IIT-Kanpur, Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Wisconsin has shown that the dust and carbon generated from the large-scale municipal solid waste burnt are turning the Taj Mahal’s white marble into yellow.

The bench was headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar previously asked a reply from the concerned authorities about the same. The bench has given the last chance to the officials to file the response.

“Let reply be filed within two weeks subject to payment of Rs 20,000 each as the cost to CPCB,” the bench said.

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BY M. DIVYA SRI