The Supreme Court has ordered the closure of 53 iron foundries around the Taj Mahal in Agra to save the monument from further destruction. The court directed the district authorities to take immediate steps to close down these polluting industries for not using natural gas instead of Coke. The directions came on an application by the Gas Authority of India (gail) against the iron foundries. A division bench comprising Justices S Saghir Ahmad and M Jagannadha Rao said out of 168 units, 53 that have not agreed to accept gas, will be closed down. The court has also directed the district administration to see that "no coke or coal is supplied' to 78 cupola-based iron foundries from September 15.