Owners of around 500 shops near Taj Mahal fear closing of business after SC order
Agra (PTI): With the Supreme Court's order to immediately stop all commercial activities within the 500-meter periphery of the Taj Mahal, the shop owners in this area are uncertain about the future of their businesses.
There are about 500 odd restaurants, emporiums, budget hotels, cafes and other business outlets in the area that might be affected by the court order.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Agra Development Authority (ADA) to prohibit commercial activities within the 500-meter periphery of the Taj Mahal.
Talking to PTI, Charchit Gaur, vice chairman of ADA said, "We have begun the survey processing of the businesses and after the completion of the survey we will identify the businesses and act accordingly to the order of the Supreme Court."
The apex court's order was in response to the application by the 71 shopkeepers, who had alleged that they were removed from near the western gate in the year 1993, whereas other commercial activities continued.
On Wednesday, locals and business owners organised a meeting to chalk out further plans.
Haji Tahir Uddin Tahir, a resident at the South Gate told PTI that around 40,000 to 50,000 people will be affected due to the order of the apex court as the workers of the shops, factories, and hotels in the Tajganj area will lose their jobs.
We will look for legal options available and unitedly fight for these people, he said.
Tahir added these shops have been running for many decades and have been set during the time of the Taj Mahal.
A shopkeeper, who runs his shop at Western Gate at Taj Mahal said we somehow managed to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and began trying to run our businesses.
Now since Monday, we are not able to understand what to do. In my shop, there is a staff of seven people and we all would become unemployed as we would not have any other options to run our houses, the shopkeeper said.
Sunil Shrivastava, a shopkeeper whose store is located at the East Gate of the Taj Mahal said this order would affect the livelihoods of about 40,000 to 50,000 people who are dependent on these commercial activities.
They would become unemployed and have no other option to run their houses," he said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
