| Save the Taj Mahal from population pollution | | | | A few years ago the Supreme Court had directed |
| Agra, Thousands of tourists, domestic and foreign, | | | | the local authorities to implement a contingency plan, |
| flooded Agra on the last day of 2009, causing | | | | install a public address system and provide an |
| hours-long traffic holdups that stretched to the next | | | | adequate number of metal detectors with sufficient |
| city. In the past week, around 25,000 people have | | | | battery backups at the Taj Mahal. "But unfortunately |
| been thronging the Taj Mahal every day, bringing | | | | the powers that be hardly seem concerned about |
| cheer to the hotel industry, but leading to serpentine | | | | the evolving mechanism and putting a system in place |
| queues at the monument. | | | | that would cope with the increased number of |
| On Thursday hotels reported they were full. As more | | | | tourists which was anticipated for this time of the |
| tourists poured in, the queues at the Taj Mahal and | | | | year," said tourism industry leader Abhinav Jain. He |
| other monuments seemed endless. The domestic | | | | said it was the first time in history that entrance |
| tourists preferred to spend the night in Agra after a | | | | tickets were sold in black. |
| visit to Vrindavan and Mathura which probably had a | | | | "Some people have obviously cornered chunks of |
| record number of pilgrims for this time of the year. | | | | tickets available at Shilpgram booking window 500 |
| Many tourists, like the Malhotra family from Delhi, | | | | metres away, and have been selling them at a |
| turned up late at the Taj Mahal and had to extend | | | | premium to those tourists who turn up at one of the |
| their stay in the city by a day. Many others were | | | | three gates not knowing the windows have been |
| disappointed as their vehicles were stranded in traffic | | | | shifted," Jain added. |
| jams right from Vrindavan to Agra. "Never before | | | | Lack of coordination among different agencies could |
| have we seen such an influx of visitors on a single | | | | prove a danger to the security of the world-famous |
| day from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana," a small food | | | | Mughal monument to love, said Sandeep Arora, |
| joint owner named Mukesh said. The road to | | | | former president of the Agra Hotels and Restaurants |
| Fatehpur Sikri witnessed traffic jams for hours. | | | | Association. |
| "Visitors have had a nightmare in Agra these last few | | | | "It is high time that the tourist influx into the Taj |
| days," commented tourist guide Hashmat who | | | | Mahal was slowed down in the interest of the ageing |
| expressed concern about the security breaches at | | | | monument. An advance booking system should be |
| the Taj Mahal, accusing the police and the security | | | | put in place and a graded ticketing system should be |
| personnel of letting visitors in without frisking and | | | | evolved. Those who just want to have a look from |
| checking their tickets. With mounting pressure on | | | | the main gate should pay a nominal fee and those |
| tourists at all the three gates of the Taj Mahal there | | | | wanting to have a closer view should pay more. |
| was virtual chaos. "It is clear that the security at the | | | | E-ticketing and the use of credit cards for booking |
| Taj was not adequate. If we have not had any | | | | tickets should be immediately introduced," Braj Mandal |
| catastrophic experience here, it is because the | | | | Heritage Conservation Society president Surendra |
| almighty is kind," Hashmat added. | | | | Sharma told IANS. |