A spectacular failure in upkeep

Anything would be an improvement over the government managing our heritage sites and monuments

To my delight, the Supreme Court delivered a tight and well-deserved slap on the face of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) last week. It asked the ASI to explain how algae and insects are all over the Taj Mahal and whether ASI was twiddling its thumbs while algae “flew” to cover the roof and other insects crawled all over its façade.
 
The yellowing of the monument, the perpetual threat of a stampede, the touts that infest the place like bacteria, the lack of decent toilets, the endless environmental threats to the monument, the fact that it has not