Activists decry commercial activities in Soor Sarovar area of Agra

Agra: A group of 25 activists on Wednesday staged a dharna here demanding a ban on construction and holding of commercial programmes in ecologically sensitive zones of the city.

The protest comes ahead of the three-day 'Meet at Agra' trade fair being organised on a five-acre plot near the Keetham Bird Sanctuary.

The fair from October 26 will have 240 stalls for national and international shoe machinery and component suppliers.

Environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya said shoe manufacturers are holding the trade fair at a complex just 250 yards away from the Keetham Bird Sanctuary.

"Without permission from statutory government bodies, shoe manufacturers of the Taj city are holding a trade fair at a complex that they have built just 250 yards away from the sensitive eco zone of the bird sanctuary," he said.

The event could have been held at the leather park at Achnera, but they have chosen to disturb birds and pollute the green lung of the city, Bhattacharya said.

According to organisers, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Suresh Prabhu will be attending the opening ceremony.

The organisers said there was no violation of existing laws or threat to the wildlife in the area from the trade fair.

Activists said they had complained and brought to the notice of all concerned that the shoe complex should not have been allowed in a forest area but for reasons beyond comprehension, no action followed.

The Keetham bird sanctuary, a vast stretch of wilderness along the Yamuna, is a crucial buffer between the oil refinery at Mathura and the Taj Mahal, already facing heat from increasing air pollution.

The British built the Keetham reservoir for emergency water supply to Agra, particularly during the lean months.