Indian Government to restrict Daily visitors at Taj Mahal soon
The Ministry of Tourism is planning to limit the number of visitors at the Taj Mahal. This decision came due to increase in the number of visitors to three or four fold especially during weekends and festivals. It is a serious concern as the weight on the main platform of the Taj Mahal increases to its capacity. The Archaeological Survey of India is likely to limit the number of visitors allowed inside the Taj Mahal complex to 30,000 per day, besides introducing separate tickets for entry into the crypt and “zero charge” tickets for children under 15 to ensure proper head count and crowd management.
The limit on the visitor numbers will be put in place on the lines of railways ticket booking systems. Regardless of whether visitors buy their tickets online or offline, the sale of tickets will be stopped when the number reaches 30,000 every day. Indian Government to restrict Daily visitors at Taj Mahal soon
These decisions were agreed upon in principle during a preliminary meeting on Monday of the ASI director-general with the joint secretary, culture of the Union government, representatives of Agra district administration and officers of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) which is in charge of security at the monument complex. A final decision is slated to be taken at a high-profile meeting on crowd management at the Taj soon, according to officials.
The Archaeological Survey of India superintendent archaeologist Mr. Bhuvan Vikram Singh said that DG Usha Sharma, along with joint secretary, culture, PL Sahu met Agra district authorities and visited the Taj Mahal. In this meeting, local authorities had discussed these three measures and informed the ASI DG about them. “A system called ‘step ticketing’, where separate entry tickets will be issued for visiting the crypt area, will have to be bought while purchasing entry tickets. This will regulate visitor movement inside the monument complex.
As of now, there is no restriction on the number of people entering the monument complex at any point of time. Many times, during peak tourist season and other occasions, the number of tourists inside the complex crosses 60,000 to 70,000. This could prove harmful for the foundations of the monument, said ASI officials.
At present, there is no provision for tickets for children below 15 years of age, so there is no exact headcount of them. With the induction of ‘zero’ value ticket, their entry will remain free but it would help maintain a proper headcount, officials added. Indian Government to restrict Daily visitors at Taj Mahal soon
They also suggested that all visitors, including children up to 15 years of age and VIPs — who are exempt from paying entry fees — should be issued tickets having bar codes and their entry and exit should be monitored through electronic gadgets.
