Wah Taj, on turning 350

Six former prime ministers, around forty ambassadors and high commissioners, including some from Pakistan, are in the list of high-profile invitees for the inaugural function of the 350th year celebrations of the Taj Mahal to be held in Agra on September 27.

The Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department has sent invitations to former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee, P V Narasimha Rao, I K Gujral, H D Deve Gowda, Chandrasekhar, V P Singh, and other dignitaries to participate in the function, official sources said.

The celebrations will be inaugurated at the Dewan-e-Aam of Agra Fort by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Pakistani singers Ghulam Ali and Adnan Sami, Indian stars Amitabh and Abhishek Bachhan and Santoor exponent Shiv Kumar Sharma are also expected to participate, they said.

Meanwhile, a clean-up campaign has been launched on selected roads in Agra used by tourists. Encroachments on the roads are being cleared and buildings on both sides are being painted in time for the occasion.