Agra

Danish royalty makes India visit after 20 yrs, head to the Taj Mahal

Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik Andr Henrik Christian and Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth visited the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort here on Sunday. The Danish royals were accorded a grand welcome at the airport here. According to the tour guide, they exhibited interest in the architecture of the beautiful monument and its history. "They exhibited interest in the architecture of Taj Mahal, the inlay work and other arts. They also enquired about who built it and how many workers were engaged to build the Taj Mahal. The crown prince also expressed curiosity about the 'Black Taj Mahal'," tour guide Nitin Singh said. The 'Black Taj Mahal' is said to have been built across the Yamuna river in black marble, but the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has dismissed it as a myth. The Danish royals are on a four-day visit to India. It is the first visit to India from the Danish Royal family in two decades.

Smart Cities mission: 22 cities including Agra to be ready by next month

Agra, Varanasi, Chennai, Pune and Ahmedabad are among the 22 cities that will complete all projects under the government's ambitious Smart Cities Mission by next month, giving their citizens better quality of life and a clean and sustainable environment, officials said on Sunday. In the remaining 78 cities selected under the mission, the ongoing projects will be completed in the next three-four months, a senior official of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said. The Narendra Modi government launched its flagship Smart Cities Mission on June 25, 2015 and 100 cities were selected for redevelopment through four rounds of competition from January 2016 to June 2018. According to the ministry, the mission's objective is to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give its citizens a decent quality of life and a clean and sustainable environment, besides adopting "smart solutions" to various issues. The 22 smart cities where all projects will be completed by March ar

Metro services in Agra to be operational by early 2024: CM Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said the metro services will be operational for the people of Agra by the beginning of 2024. He was inaugurating the underground work for the tunnel of the Agra Metro Rail Project being undertaken by Uttar Pradesh Rail metro Corporation (UPMRC). Talking to reporters Adityanath said, "The priority corridor of six kilometres would be completed ahead of the six months of the scheduled target and Metro services will be operational for the people of Agra by the beginning of 2024." According to a statement, the priority corridor is a six kilometres corridor, from Taj East Gate to Jama Masjid. It would have three elevated metro stations Taj East Gate, Basai Metro Station and Fatehabad Road Metro Station along with three underground metro stations Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Jama Masjid. "Agra Metro would not only help in the public transportation it will also help tourists and generate employment opportunities for the youths. Metro rail

Agra man who returned from China tests positive for Covid-19: CMO

A 40-year-old man, who returned from China two days back, has tested positive for COVID-19 following which he has been isolated at his home here, Chief Medical Officer Arun Srivastava said on Sunday. His samples will be sent to Lucknow for genome sequencing, he said. "The man has been isolated at his home and teams of the health department have been asked to conduct tests of his family members and those who came in contact with him," Srivastava added. The man returned to Agra from China via Delhi on December 23 following which he was tested at a private lab. The report came out positive for Covid, he added. This the first Covid positive case in the district detected after November 25, officials said. Amid a surge in Covid cases in some countries, including China, the Centre has ramped up its anti-coronavirus measures. The Centre had said RT-PCR test would be made mandatory for passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand and asked states to conduct a mock dri

Taj Mahal on alert, no entry for tourists without Covid-19 testing

With surge in Covid cases in China and other countries, one of the most popular tourist attractions of the country Taj Mahal in Agra is put on alert, confirmed the District Health Information Officer

Taj Mahal to be 'attached' if ASI fails to pay water, property tax: Agra MC

"Property tax not applicable on monuments. Not liable to pay taxes for water. It could have been sent by mistake," said ASI superintending archaeologist

Govt will promote IT-electronics industries in Agra: Yogi Adityanath

The Chief Minister also said that in the last five years everyone has witnessed the changing picture of Agra

UP to develop bus stations with modern facilities, on lines of airports

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet gave its approval on Friday for developing 23 bus stations on a public-private partnership with state-of-the-art facilities on the lines of airports. The stations include two each in Lucknow, Agra and Prayagraj, besides Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Kanpur, Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh said. During a meeting that was presided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the cabinet approved the proposal to develop 23 bus stations in big cities in the first phase, Singh told the media. Later, it will be taken up in all the 75 districts of the state, he said. Hotels, restaurants, malls, toilets and separate facilities for women will be made available at these bus stations, according to Singh. It will have good seating facilities and good toilets like those at airports, he said, adding that the tenders would be floated soon.

UP: Agra, Ghaziabad and Prayagraj to have police commissionerates

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet gave its approval on Friday for setting up a police commissionerate in Agra, Ghaziabad and Prayagraj districts. In the system, a commissioner of police heads the district police department or commissionerate, which is also vested with powers of an executive magistrate under various acts. The decision has been taken due to the increase in population, importance of these districts and to provide better policing and maintain law and order, Urban Development Minister Arvind Sharma said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave the approval during a cabinet meeting, Sharma told the media in Lucknow. Sharma said the entire districts of Agra, Ghaziabad and Prayagraj would be brought under the commissionerate system after completing all formalities. These districts will be declared metropolitan areas to set up the commissionerate system, he said. The state will have a commissionerate system of policing in seven districts out of the total 75 districts now. Earlier, i

SC stays notices for closure of shops within 500 metres of Taj Mahal

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Agra Development Authority (ADA) for not conducting any survey on the environmental impact of business activities near the iconic Taj Mahal and termed it a "sorry state of affairs". The top court said it has to act like a "super administrator" as the ADA has failed to do its duty and stayed the operation of notices served for closure of all business activities along the boundary wall of the centuries-old monument. A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka asked the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to conduct an environment impact assessment (EIA) based on the latest survey of the business activities especially in the Taj Ganj area within 500 metres from the boundary wall of the iconic monument and submit a report giving suggestion to the court as early as possible. The top court noted that its September 26 order for removal of businesses was passed to bring in conformity with a similar order passe

High-level team deputed to UP for dengue management in Firozabad, Agra

The Union Health Ministry has deputed a high-level multi-disciplinary team to Uttar Pradesh to collaborate with the state authorities in instituting public health measures for dengue management in Firozabad, Agra and Etawah districts. The six-member team comprises experts drawn from the National Centre for Disease Control, National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital Hospital, New Delhi, according to a statement. The team is headed by Dr V K Chaudhary, Sr RD, Regional Office of Health and Family Welfare, Lucknow. It shall work closely with the state health departments, take a stock on the ground situation and recommend necessary public health interventions to manage the increasing cases of Dengue being reported by the state, the statement said. Uttar Pradesh has been reporting a considerable number of dengue cases recently. A senior official of the state health department on Friday said 140 dengue cases were reported on October 13 with Lucknow

Health Ministry sends high-level team to UP for dengue management

The team will collaborate with the State health authorities in instituting public health measures for Dengue management in Firozabad, Agra and Etawah districts

Taj Mahal to open during 'Sharad Purnima' for four nights this month

The Taj Mahal will be open for night viewing during 'Sharad Purnima' for four nights this time

Remove all business activities within 500 metres of Taj Mahal: SC

The Supreme Court has directed the Agra Development Authority to remove all business activities within 500 metres from the boundary/peripheral wall of the Taj Mahal

Rajasthan govt plans to upgrade facilities in hotels owned by RTDC

Recently, chief minister Ashok Gehlot approved Rs 10 crore for the renovation of six hotels of RTDC

Taj Mahal still exposed to alarming levels of pollution: Green activists

Local activists say there has been no fundamental change in the environmental conditions in Agra, Mathura, Firozabad districts that come under the TTZ

Notices to Centre, ASI over idols of Hindu deities 'buried' in Agra mosque

The petitioners claimed that costly idols taken from the Mathura's Keshav Dev temple were buried under the staircase of the Agra's Begum Sahiba Masjid mosque by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb

Small shoe firms in Agra squeezed by material costs, fading demand

Small firms, which employ about 110 million Indians and account for 45% of manufacturing, were hit the hardest

1 killed, Union Minister Meghwal unhurt as iron mast falls on stage

At the time of incident, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal, who was the chief guest at the event, was delivering a speech from the stage, the police said

As Covid cases surge, tourism industry hit hardest in Agra

: Scores of hoteliers, restaurant owners, and tourism and hospitality players in Agra lamented the trail of destruction Covid-19 left on their businesses.