Taj Mahal being turned into a shopping mall

A bit OT but how far will commercialization go?
NEW DELHI: Imagine a shopping mall as the backdrop of the Taj Mahal instead of the picturesque Yamuna. Is this an architectural nightmare? No, this could soon be the ugly reality. The UP government has started the construction of the Heritage Corridor on the banks of the Yamuna, behind the monument. The UP government has decided to fill up the river bed behind the Taj in order to build a shopping complex, the work for which has already begun. The Central and the state government have sanctioned Rs 175 crore for the construction of the Taj Heritage Corridor, even as environmental conservationists are decrying the 'scandalous' nature of the project.

The state government's grandiose project to link Agra's important monuments — Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Ram Bagh, Etmatuddula and Chinni-Ka-Roza — is supposed to allow tourists to visit these monuments without entering Agra. The mall is a part of that project. print article at Times of India