Taj-view farm? UP man claims land with the marble monument in eyeshot, raises fences around it

The farmer said that his father and uncle, who were registered cultivators, had lost the land to urban ceiling action in 1976. He claims to have won it back after a four-decade long court battle.

A farmer from Agra claimed a piece of land at the Gyarah Sidi Park, which is a popular spot to view the Taj Mahal, and has begun preparing it for farming.

A report from the Times of India said that Munna Lal, a local farmer, claimed a large part of the park as farmland that he received after years of court dispute. The Nagla Devjit native claimed that he had fought a “four-decade-long court battle for six bighas of ancestral land within the park"

"My family has fought a 40-year legal battle to secure this land. We’ve court orders and legal papers. In 2020, the office of the sub-divisional magistrate asserted our ownership over the land. This is also registered in revenue records,” Munna Lal told TOI.

The farmer said that his father and uncle, who were registered cultivators, had lost the land to urban ceiling action in 1976.

TOI confirmed that the ownership of the land has been transferred to Lal, according to district court documents.

Agra divisional commissioner Ritu Maheshwari said that while the land belonged to the Agra Development Authority’s (ADA) jurisdiction, "recent developments are being probed.

Lal has already put-up fences to bar the public from his land, and ploughed it with a tractor.

ADA had been looking into various proposals to develop the park prior to this development. On the website of the body, a future plan for the park reads, "The development of a Theme Park and Entertainment Zone along with a Cultural Activity Zone at Gyarah Sidi near the Taj View point will create a lively recreational space that celebrates cultural heritage, offers diverse entertainment options, and enhances the visitor experience, making the area a vibrant and attractive destination for both locals and tourists."

However, these plans might now have to be put on hold.

Shakeel Chauhan, national general secretary of Tourist Guides’ Federation of India, told TOI, “The park was a place to witness Taj in its full glory at sunset. This development puts a question mark over its future.”