From Monday, 10 December, visitors to Taj Mahal will have to pay an extra Rs 200 to enter the main mausoleum, which houses replicas of the graves of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife, Mumtaz.
The original graves are in the basement of the main mausoleum. The new arrangement is to help reduce the number of tourists in the main structure.
“Any tourist, Indian or foreigner, will be required to pay Rs 200 extra if they intend to go inside the main mausoleum to view the graves of the Mughal emperor and his wife. The arrangement will come in force from Monday.”Vasant Kumar Swarnkar, ASI official, as told to Hindustan Times
“A notification to be effective from 10 December has been issued after directions from the headquarters in Delhi, and a copy has been circulated to all those concerned,” Swarnkar added.
A primary notification regarding this was published by the ASI on 14 September, 2018.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the latest notification, dated 5 December says that “the objections / suggestions received from public were considered by the Central Government”, and therefore, “the entry fees for main mausoleum of Taj Mahal (Part of Taj Mahal) is Rs 200 per person per day for all categories of visitors in addition to existing entry fees for the Taj Mahal.”
There has been a downward revision in the general entry free as well, according to The Indian Express report.
While domestic tourists and visitors from SAARC countries will pay an entry free of Rs 40 per head to see the Taj Mahal, other foreigners will be required to pay Rs 600 per head for entry to the premises.
The idea to introduce step-ticketing system as a crowd management measure was floated after a minor stampede at one of the entry gates of the monument in December 2017.
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