Monday, September 5 2005 09:35 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Lucknow: There is no threat to the Taj Mahal, the 17th century monument of love, from the tilt of its minaret, Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Kokab Hamid said quoting an expert committee report.

"The experts' team sent to Agra after reports of threat to one of the minarets of the white marble wonder has found that it was intact and there was no threat to it," Hamid told sources in Lucknow.

The worry over an outward tilt in the 132-feet southwest minaret of the Taj Mahal started following reports to this effect in a section of the media.

Taking serious note of it, the State Government had sent a team of experts, including those from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), for a thorough inspection with the help of sophisticated instruments.

The foundation of the 350-year-old monument had been laid on ebony wood, perhaps to save it from possible earthquakes or any such eventuality and with the river Yamuna, on whose bank the monument has been erected, changing its route the moisture level of the ground has gone down, Hamid said.

The concern, as of now, is maintaining the moisture level in order to sustain the seasoning of the foundation of the Taj Mahal, he said.

Hamid favoured that the Union and State Governments together work out a plan to maintain the moisture level of the ground around the Taj Mahal, which he said, was vital.

The minister, however, was confident that the situation was not at all alarming as the problem has already been detected and the government was aware of what was needed to be done.

The tilt in the minaret was first reported in 1930s when it was found to have tilted 8.5 inches.

A survey in 1982 had found that this tilt had further increased by 0.5 inches but subsequent surveys found there was no increase in the tilt.

The slight tilt detected in 1982 in the view of the experts and historians was then attributed to human error, Hamid said adding going by the views of experts and available records, there has been no tilt in the monument since 1930s.

No records prior to 1930s were available with the Government.