Find reason behind green pigment on Taj Mahal: Akhilesh Yadav to officials

He further said that the state govt would do whatever is possible to protect and conserve the world famous monument and its beauty

Taking serious note of reports of green pigmentation on the white marble of the Taj Mahal, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has directed officers to trace the factors behind the problem and find a solution.

"CM has asked Agra Divisional Commissioner, District Magistrate, Public Works Department (PWD), Archeology and pollution board officials to soon trace the factors behind the problem and find a solution," a government spokesman said here.

"The Samajwadi Party government will do whatever is possible to protect and conserve the world famous monument and its beauty," the Akhilesh Yadav said.

As per media reports, patches of green pigmentation have surfaced on the Taj Mahal's marble engravings marring the beauty of the monument.

The pigmentation might be the result of the excretions of an insect called chironomids which was rapidly breeding in the polluted Yamuna.

It is suspected that this insect perches on the Taj Mahal and excretes, causing green pigmentation, they said.

The Taj Mahal attracts lakhs of tourists from across the world.

Last week, the NGT had issued notices to Ministry of Environment and Forests, Uttar Pradesh government, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority and sought their responses on the steps being taken to curtail the adverse impact on the UNESCO world heritage site.