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Tag: ASI monuments

  • All centrally protected ASI monuments to reopen from June 16

    By PTI
    AGRA: The Taj Mahal and all other centrally protected monuments, museums and sites, closed for around two months due to the Covid pandemic, will be reopened on June 16, an Archaeological Survey of India order issued on Monday said.

    These include 3,693 monuments and 50 museums across India.

    An ASI official said visitors will be able to book entry tickets online.

    However, no offline booking facility will be available, the official added.

    According to the ASI order, the opening of the monuments will be in strict compliance with the executive orders, if any, issued by the state, district or the disaster management authority.

    “Today @MinOfCultureGoI has given @ASIGoI approval to duly open all the monuments of India from 16 June 2021. Tourists can visit the monuments following the Corona rules. Good luck to all,” tweeted Union Culture and Tourism minister Prahlad Patel.

    Appropriate guidelines and SOPs issued by Union and states governments, ministries and departments will be scrupulously followed while regulating the flow of visitors, the order said.

    In an order on April 15, the ASI had shut these monuments till May 31.

    Last year, all monuments and sites maintained by the ASI were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17.

    They reopened in July with strict restrictions like mandatory wearing of masks, a cap on the number of visitors and social distancing.

    The curbs were relaxed later in the year.

    However, due to the surge in cases again this year, these monuments were closed for the public.

    Superintending Archeologist, Agra Circle ASI, Dr Vasant Kumar Swarnkar said Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and other centrally-protected monuments, sites and museums will be reopened from Wednesday.

    “We will maintain social distancing among the visitors and sanitisation of the monuments premises will be done thrice in a day. The body temperature will be checked through a thermal thermometer. Besides, the shoes of the tourists would be properly sanitised,” he told PTI.

    “Tourists would not be allowed to touch any object inside the Taj Mahal and other monuments and sites. They have to follow social distancing norms while sitting as well,” he added.

  • Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, other ASI monuments closed till May 15

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: With the number of positive Covid cases increasing at an alarming rate in India, the Archeology Survey of India (ASI) on Thursday decided to shut all its monuments, museums, and protected sites including Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar and Humayun’s tomb till May 15 as a precautionary measure.

    “Due to prevailing Covid situation, it has been decided to close all the centrally protected monuments/ sites and museums under Archaeological Survey of India with immediate effect and till 15 May 2021 or until further orders,” said the order issued by NK Pathak, director (monuments), ASI.

    Mughal fort palace Red Fort in Delhi has been closed since January 19 after samples of dead crows collected from the site were found positive for avian influenza.

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    To curtail health risks posed by the coronavirus, all ASI sites were also closed last year on March 17.

    The ASI manages and protects 3,691 monuments including 143 which are ticketed sites in the country.

    In Delhi, there are about 170 historical structures with ASI and only 13 such as Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutub Minar, Safdar Jung’s Tomb, Purana Quila, and Hauz Khas has paid entry. Red Fort, Qutub Minar, and Humayun’s Tomb are among the most visited sites in the city as they receive approximately 10,000 visitors every day.

    All prominent heritage buildings were reopened in July but there was a cap on the number of visitors.

    “It has been observed that people in large numbers come to the heritage sites and at several sites, social distancing and Covid norms were not being followed by the sightseers,” said an ASI official, requesting anonymity.