The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to open the Taj for viewing at night after nearly 16 years.

It was open for night viewing till 1984 when it was stopped following riots in the wake of then prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination. ``There was high threat perception to the monument. There were intelligence reports of terrorists planning to target the Taj. So for security reasons it was decided to stop night viewing,'' said Ajay Shankar, Director General (DG), ASI.

But ever since, there have been demands to re-open it. ``We have given the clearance. Now it is only a matter of time before the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also gives it the security clearance,'' Shankar said. The ASI plans to open it on the night of December 31 to usher in the new millennium and they are certain of getting the go-ahead from the MHA before that. The Taj will open for nightviewing five days in a month, corresponding with full-moon nights.

Sources in the MHA said that all formalities to open the Taj had been done and the Home Minister L.K. Advani just had to sign the file. During his campaign tour of Agra, the locals had requested Advani to open Taj for moonlit viewing. Advani said that he would do so soon after the elections. And definitely before the end of the year. ``In fact it was the Home Ministry's idea to open Taj on December 31, expecting a rush of people to the romantic monument to usher in the new millennium,'' a MHA official said.

The ASI DG said that clearance had been given only after ensuring the security of the place. ``In his report, Girish Chandra Saxena (former RAW chief and now governor of Jammu and Kashmir) had recommended some security measures which were looked into by the ASI and the state government,'' he added. The recommended security measures included more security personnel, floodlighting and sniffer dogs among other things.

On other weekdays,as many as 30,000 people visit the Taj everyday. On Fridays when entry to Taj Mahal is free, more than 80,000 people visit it.