Taj city locals no less awestruck
AGRA: Not just US president Donald Trump, the local residents too expressed awe at the city that looked beautiful like never before.
While it was Taj that impressed Trump, what left locals surprised was the grand manner in which the route to Taj Mahal was decked up for the VVIP guests. “The Taj Mahal inspires awe, a timeless testament to the rich and diverse beauty of Indian culture. Thank you India,” Trump wrote in the visitors’ book. Locals, however, wondered that if such arrangements could be done in ten days for a VVIP, why can’t they be there round the year, and in the entire city?
“This visit of US President proves that the administration can do any task if asked to. We also decorate our homes when there are visitors so we do not object to preparations but why such urgency is not found when development works in the city are to be implemented,” said Rajeev Gupta, convener, Lokswar.
The question is significant since the administration made all the preparations for the high profile visit mostly in last ten days. The pace of preparation picked up when chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited Agra to assess the work on February 18. All through Sunday, the residents of Agra were seen visiting areas falling on route of US president Donald Trump. In the evening, soon after Trump left, denizens came out on road and had selfies at crossings which were beautified and where huge cut outs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump were placed.
“If areas falling on route could be decked up in 10 days, bridges and walls painted, roads repaired, trees watered, Taj cleaned etc, all in ten days, why not other infrastructure can be spruced up and kept in good shape round the year. It will definitely help fetch much more revenue,” said Lokswar chief.
President of Agra Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Council (AFMEC) Pooran Dawar too agreed.
“Let us have more such visitors, not just to the Taj but also to other parts of the city,” he said, “The alacrity with which the administration worked goes on to show that they can. I just wonder where was this efficiency when projects undertaken under smart city projects were being rolled out,” said Dawar.