SC dismisses plea seeking to declare Agra 'heritage city'
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea seeking to declare Agra a "heritage city" and said there is nothing to show that such a declaration would give the city any special advantage.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan dismissed the application filed in a 1984 PIL on the protection and preservation of the iconic Taj Mahal and its adjoining areas.
"Nothing has been placed on record to show that there will be any special advantage to the city. Moreover, this court cannot grant any such declaration. Interlocutory application is dismissed," the bench ordered.
During the hearing, the bench asked the counsel what advantage the city would get if it was declared a heritage city and what were the provisions under the law for such a declaration.
The counsel said that Agra needed to be declared a heritage city as it has a history of over 1,000 years and several historic monuments which need to be preserved.
"Declaring Agra a heritage city would give a boost to tourism, help create employment and preserve the area," the counsel added.
Justice Oka observed that there was hardly anything smart in a city that has been declared a "smart city".
"Similarly, how does it help Agra city by declaring it a heritage city? Does Agra become cleaner by the declaration? If it does not help, then it will be an exercise in futility," the bench observed.
Justice Oka said that this court is already looking into the matter of protection and preservation of the Taj Mahal and the maintenance of the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ).
The TTZ is an area of about 10,400 square kilometres spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.
The apex court has been monitoring development in the area to protect the Taj Mahal.
The construction of the Taj Mahal was completed in 1643 but work continued on other phases of the project for another 10 years. The ivory-white marble mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
