Supreme Court clears Yanni concert

The Supreme Court Monday finally cleared the three-day music concert by Greek composer Yanni, beginning from March 20 in the back-drop of the Taj across the river Yamuna at Agra.

A division bench comprising Justice K Ramaswamy and Justice S Saghir gave the clearance following an assurance made on behalf of the Union government and the Uttar Pradesh government that precautions had been taken to ensure the monument or its surroundings would not be affected.

Environmentalist lawyer MC Mehta had challenged the holding of the Yanni show, alleging that the show was being held in violation of the court's earlier direction for creating a green belt around the Taj 500 meters away from the monument.

Mehta had sought suitable directions for the protection of the monument from the sound impact of the concert and to its ecology from the constructions in connection with the show. yanni show three last new delhi

Attorney General Ashok Desai gave an assurance that care would be taken that the monument or its surroundings would not be affected. But the court placed restrictions on the number of vehicles for the audience allowed near the Taj, and directed taht the sound should not exceed 40 decibels.

The court appointed a five-member committee comprising one member each from the Archeological Survey of India, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, the Agra Development Authority, and the Central Pollution Control Board to supervise the arrangements