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The Indian government has assured the people of the country that the Taj Mahal is safe and that there is no deterioration of the 17th-century monument. The statement from the government comes a day after the country's apex court slammed both the federal and Uttar Pradesh state governments for failing to the tackle the deterioration of the monument due to air pollution, Sputnik agency reported.

"I want to assure everyone that there is no danger to the Taj Mahal's structure and there has been no change in its original color. We will submit an affidavit in this regard in the Supreme Court," Mahesh Sharma, India's Minister of State for Culture said on Thursday. 

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of India asked the government to either adequately address the concerns regarding discoloration of the Taj Mahal, a major tourist attraction, or shut it down completely.

A number of studies have been carried out by various research teams regarding the discoloring of the Taj Mahal. According to one such study conducted by country's premier engineering institute IIT, Kanpur carbon pollution around the Taj is causing the white marble to turn yellow.