Taj or cliff? Ricky's concert ends in tiff

Vijay Upadhyay
Agra. Latino singer Ricky Martin's much-awaited Agra concert will have to wait. The concert was scheduled for March 25 behind the Taj Mahal. Authorities have decided to wait for some time, as they feel the noise may cause damage to the environment around the Taj Mahal. The concert had already been postponed for a month for want of permission.

The show managers have been given an option to hold the concert on a hillock in the premises of Hotel Taj Khema, which is located 500 meters outside the circle of restriction of the Taj.

The concert, organised by the Eighth Wonder of the World Organisation and Media Moghul Louis J pearlman, for global awareness for children affected by HIV/AIDS. The concert will help raising funds for UNICEF and partners through arts and entertainment, which are to be held in ten different exotic locations in the world, semi-annually till 2010. The location behind the Taj Mahal had been planned as one of the venues.
However, authorities remain adamant on not granting permission for the concert without consent of the apex court. This may result in shifting the venue.
Speaking to The Pioneer, Joint Director UP Tourism DK Burman said that there were several restrictions laid down by the Supreme Court on activities being held inside the 500-m radius around the Taj. The jarring noise caused by musical instruments was one reason why the authorities did not give the programme a go-ahead.

They say that such concerts would generate noise that could reach over 100 dB, whereas the maximum sound level acceptable around the Taj is just 45 dB.
Mr Burman said that permission from the UP Government for the concert behind the Taj is possible only after the show managers obtained requisite authorisation from the Supreme Court and the Central Government departments concerned.
He added that even the Yanni concert, held in 1997 behind the Taj, was given the green signal only after Yanni had promised to use environmentally safe audio equipment. Also, the UP Government had not been permitted by the Supreme Court to hold the closing ceremony of the International Taj Year behind the Taj Mahal, and it had shift the venue to the lawns of the Agra Fort.
According to Mr Burman, the UP Government was aware of the benefits to the tourism industry that could be reaped from holding this concert in Agra. Instead of the sandbank of the Yamuna behind the Taj Mahal, Martin's managers have been given the option of holding the concert on the hillock of Hotel Taj Khema, which is located outside the restricted radius around the Taj Mahal and offered a decent view of the monument.
But the tourism department's offer for the concert at the Taj Khema contains fine print that Ricky Martin's managers will have to read before they plan the concert on the hotel hillock. According to Mr Burman, the hillock has space to seat only 200 people and this could pose a problem.

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