Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society president Surendra Sharma has criticised the ropeway project.

He said: 'Once again they are playing with the Taj Mahal forgetting what happened in the controversial Taj Corridor issue. The Dr. S. Varadarajan Committee appointed by the apex court had clearly recommended there should be no tampering with the physical settings around the heritage monuments.'

More than 20 years ago a TV tower near Ram Bagh had to be removed after environmentalists and conservationists pointed to the 'Visual Pollution' it was causing by appearing as the fifth minaret of the Taj Mahal in photographs.

'In Taj's case the effect of visual pollution cannot be ignored. You cannot introduce new features around the Taj,' pointed out environmentalist Ravi Singh.

Is there really a need for a ropeway behind the Taj?

This question has irked many locals who want the ADA to address more fundamental issues of infrastructure for tourism development. The ADA collects crores of rupees through entrance tickets to the monuments.

'The ADA is run by bureaucrats and is not under democratic control of the Municipal Corporation of Agra,' said social activist V.P. Singh. He alleged that most of the ticket money collected for visitors to the Taj Mahal is 'siphoned off' to fund 'questionable projects'.

Siddiqui also admitted that the ASI was helpless in dealing with state government agencies. 'We can only file FIRs against violators and encroachers and nothing more.'

The issue of cleaning of debris from the site of the Taj Corridor is still hanging fire with no department coming forward to remove the eyesore between the Taj and the Agra Fort. The apex court itself has seemingly forgotten the case, said an official.

A few months ago the ASI failed to stop construction of a bridge within the restricted zone of 200 metres from Etmad-ud-daula.

Officials here claimed the site was beyond the restricted zone. However, on measuring the distance again the mistake was noticed but by that time work had already started in full swing. The new bridge will not only add to the traffic problems but also raise the level of pollution in the sensitive area, say concerned locals.