Taj city’s poll issues unchanged with unfulfilled promises

AGRA It took 22 years for Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to create the marvel in marble, Taj Mahal, but many promises made by successive governments to Agra have remained unfulfilled for an even longer period.
Poll issues remain unchanged election after election, be it the demand for a separate bench of the high court in west UP, international airport, Agra barrage, or international sports stadium. The city has small-scale footwear manufacturing units, but many of them are shutting down year after year.
Agra has a Metro rail project, but it caters to a limited area. Ganga water has reached Agra as part of the Gangajal project, but the entire city is yet to be connected to supply lines.
Limited night viewing of Taj Mahal has affected tourist footfall in the city. At present, only 400 tourists in eight groups of 50 each are allowed to view the Taj Mahal at night, for five nights in a month. They get to view the monument from over 200m, making clear moonlight views of the Taj very rare, especially during winter
Otherwise a boon to Agra, the fasttrack connectivity with Delhi and Lucknow through two expressways turns to be a bane when it comes to average stay of tourists in Agra. Normally, most of the tourists do not even stop for a day in Agra.
PAST POLITICAL SCENARIO
Agra became a reserved seat in 2009. Since then, the BJP has won all three elections. The mayor, district panchayat head and nine MLAs are also from the BJP. The Samajwadi Party won Agra Lok Sabha seat in 1999 and 2004, but it was largely because of local lad Raj Babbar’s charisma. Despite being termed as ‘Dalit capital’, the BSP is yet to have its MP or mayor in Agra.
However, when it comes to assembly elections, the BSP justifies Agra’s ‘Dalit capital’ title. Out of nine assembly seats, six were won by BSP in 2007 when the party formed government in UP. Even when SP swept the state in 2012 assembly polls, BSP continued its hold over Agra and again won six out of nine seats.
CASTE DYNAMICS
The BJP’s success is mostly attributed to the dominance of Vaish community in Agra as a large chunk of Maharaja Agrasen followers (3.15 lakh) dominates the trade scenario in the city. Jatavs (2.50 lakh voters) dominate the Schedule Castes and are believed to be the reason for the impressive performance of BSP here.
However, the non-Jatav voters (around 1 lakh) are closer to the BJP. Agra also has a sizeable number of Muslim voters (2.50 lakh) while the Other Backward Castes (around 2 lakh) play a crucial role in the election.
UNFULFILLED PROMISES
The city also lost out in the race for international airport, which came up at Jewar on the Yamuna Expressway. Agra only has a civil terminal within the defence area for air connectivity and flights are available for select few cities only on certain days of the week.
Despite concerns over quality and quantity of Yamuna water, the Agra Barrage, promised decades ago, is still awaited. Environmentalists have suggested that the wooden base of the Taj Mahal requires water in Yamuna flowing north of Taj for the longevity of the monument. Polluted river produces microorganisms, which leave a green scar on the inlay work of Taj.
Litigants in Agra have to travel 700km to reach the Allahabad high court as the Jaswant Singh Commission’s recommendation for a high court bench in Agra is pending for implementation despite being submitted to the central government in the eighties.
While the potato processing unit to cater the potato belt, of which Agra is part, is yet to take shape, construction of international sports stadium and museum are the other unmet promises.
ECONOMICS
Catering to 65% of the domestic market in the nation, the footwear manufacturing industry here traces its roots to the Mughal period. About 3.5 lakh people are engaged in the footwear trade as small workers, medium level manufacturers and traders seek relaxation in GST. This sector has seen growth in exports, but the golden days before the disintegration of USSR are yet to be revived with China being the biggest competitor in this business.
It is said that Noor Jahan, wife of Mughal ruler Jahangir, reached a locality in Agra where petha was being made on a large scale. She was offered petha and liked it. And since then, the locality came to be known as Noori Darwaza – the ‘Petha capital’ of Agra, said locals. However, the sweetmeat units continue to operate in this shabby area despite establishment of ‘Petha Nagari’.
Tourism remains the backbone of Agra’s economy but struggles to have better length of stay of tourists who mostly come and return the same day after watching Taj and a few going to the Agra Fort. Lesser-known monuments await proper projection. Initial efforts to develop Agra as an IT hub have not materialised and lack of industry is causing brain drain.