'No one can scare us... Taj Arabia will be built'

The developer of $1 billion Taj Arabia in Falcon City of Wonders, Dubai, says he will go ahead with the construction of the project despite protests by a small section of people in Agra, India.

“There is no question of being scared… we are going ahead with our project. If Donald Trump can have a Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, why are some protesting against our project,” Link Global Group company director Arun Mehra told Emirates 24|7.

“Moreover, we are building a hotel and not a monument. Hence, our purpose and function is totally different,” he argued.

Media reports in India quoted former Agra legislator Satish Chandra Gupta, saying, “It is patently wrong and absurd. This kind of distortion and in principle duplication of history artificially makes no sense.”

Surendra Sharma, president of the Society, told IANS: "Ideally the Dubai builder should not go ahead with this project as it hurts our sentiments. Taj Mahal is basically a spiritual centre, with thousands of people offering prayers and paying obeisance round the year.”

Mehra clarified that Taj Arabia wasn’t an exact replica of the Taj Mahal.

“We are also not using the same material that was used to build the original Taj. We will not have any calligraphy or the religious angle.
It will be an iconic wedding destination and that is what we are building.”

The developer has got most of the clearances from the authorities and will soon commence construction. Taj Arabia is expected to completed by 2014.

Earlier this month, Emirates 24/7 reported that

Link Global will be constructing Taj Arabia which comprises a 300-room five-star hotel along with seven Mughal architecture-themed buildings, consisting of retail and residential elements in FalconCity.

Mehra, who called the project a “one-shop wedding destination“, said the project will have wedding boutiques, a gold jewellery souk and a banquet hall to accommodate 3,000 people, while the promenade will have eateries, bars and lifestyle outlets.

With over 2.3 million square feet of built-up area, the project will have acres of greenery including Mughal gardens and a “falling garden” with a water cascade. Taj Arabia will have one million square feet of residential area with freehold apartments and penthouses.

FalconCity of Wonders is a multipurpose mega project located in Dubailand and will feature structures based on famous sites and architectural marvels of the world such as the Pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.