Citing the Covid protocol, the ASI has closed the counters after tourists were flouting protocols by neither wearing masks nor following proper physical distancing…reports Asian Lite News.
Ticket windows for a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra have been closed in view of rising number of Covid cases.
Visitors can now book tickets online for a visit to the monument.
The Archaeological Survey of India has given the facility of online booking. However, inside the Taj Mahal, the counter on the jasmine floor under the main dome will be operational to buy an additional ticket of Rs 200.
Citing the Covid protocol, the ASI has closed the counters after tourists were flouting protocols by neither wearing masks nor following proper physical distancing.
The Archaeological Survey of India had restarted ticket counters for sale of tickets offline at the Taj Mahal from November 27 and other monuments from December 1, making it easier for people coming from rural India and those who did not have smartphones.
Now with the closure of ticket windows at all monuments, tourists will be able to book tickets online only.
ASI sells tickets in Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Sikandra, Etmauddaula, Mehtab Bagh, Rambagh and Maryam’s Tomb along with Taj Mahal in Agra.
Meanwhile, tourism received a major boost when flights were started from Agra to Lucknow on October 1…reports Brij Khandelwal
As the number of visitors to the 17th century monument of love Taj Mahal increased slowly from a trickle to more than 30,000 on Sunday, there were discernible signs of relief and hope in Agra’s tourism sector which had seen an unprecedented lean phase due to the Covid-19 pandemic for nearly two years.
Agra has already been declared Covid-free as there are zero cases reported in the past two weeks and all active cases have been discharged. The only element of worry now is an alarming rise in dengue cases which has taken a heavy toll in Agra, Mathura and Firozabad districts.
Children have been the worst-hit by dengue but Health Department officials said the overall situation was under control. The Agra administration has taken a series of measures to provide prompt medical care in rural areas.
Meanwhile, tourism received a major boost when flights were started from Agra to Lucknow on October 1.
Flights are now available for Bengaluru, Nagpur, and Ahmedabad, and those from Bhopal and Mumbai will soon begin, officials said.
The construction of a new terminal and an independent road access outside the Air Force area continues at a brisk pace. Former state Aridaman Singh and local MP and Union Minister S.P. Singh Baghel have urged Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to connect Agra with several other cities.
The tourism industry in Agra is hoping for return of “business as good as before” once international flights resume operations. Right now, the number of tourists from abroad is negligible, said tourist guide Ved Gautam.
“But before international tourists start arriving, the UP Police has to streamline its functioning outside the Taj Mahal, particularly at the ticket counters. Every now and then, there is a scuffle or heated argument over machines or scanners not working or identification problems. Tickets are currently available online only,” Gautam added.
The main cause of worry in the tourism trade remains the traffic jams in the city. Tourist vehicles get stranded for hours on the Yamuna Kinara Road and near Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra.
Senior police officials, after holding meetings with the administration, have assured action to address traffic issues. Due to laying of the Ganga water pipeline on the banks of Yamuna and construction work for the Metro services on the Fatehabad Road, long stretches have been dug up which has affected traffic movement.
However, Agra Mayor Navin Jain has promised to fill up all potholes on the roads and widen some stretches to ease traffic congestion. With the festival season around the corner, local hotels and ‘petha’ as well as handicraft industries are quite optimistic.
“These two years have been disastrous for business, we are now hoping for a turnaround. With elections in Uttar Pradesh early next year, there should be plenty of money in circulation along with business swing,” said Rajiv Gupta, a businessman and former President of the National Chamber of Industries and Commerce.
In the wake of alarming rise in the number of Covid patients, the Taj and other monuments were shut down for visitors, two months ago…reports Brij Khandelwal
With some respite on the Covid-19 pandemic front, after steep decline in numbers, the district authorities are all set to welcome domestic tourists to the historical monuments in Agra.
In the wake of alarming rise in the number of Covid patients, the Taj and other monuments were shut down for visitors, two months ago.
The Archaeological Survey of India has in a circular announced reopening of monuments from June 16.
@ASIGoI
The tourism industry captains in Agra have welcomed the decision and have asked for resumption of international flights. Hoteliers have also demanded sops and a special package to help the industry steer out of the crisis. “At least some relief can be considered in taxes and electricity bills,” said senior hotelier Surendra Sharma.
Hotels in Agra have been either shut or partially opened since March 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has virtually crippled the hospitality and travel industry, which have been demanding special schemes and sops to ease the pangs from continued shut down.
Though the reopening of the monuments would help to some extent, but until international flights were resumed, there could be no positive turn around, feel the hoteliers.
The 17th century monument of love, the Taj Mahal attracted more than seven million tourists annually, before the pandemic.
District officials indicated that visitors to the monuments would need to take appropriate precautions before they are allowed entry. Care would be taken to ensure there was no crowding. Initially tickets would be issued online.
For the past one week, there has been a welcome decline in the daily numbers of Covid-19 patients. In the past 24 hours only six cases were reported.
Health department officials said the city’s medical infrastructure had been streamlined, and necessary follow up measures were being taken in the rural areas.
