Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi’s monuments receive few visitors on Day 1 of reopening

The monuments in the Capital, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), reopened their doors for visitors on Wednesday after staying shut for two months following the second wave--fourth for Delhi-- of Covid-19 in April that crippled the health care system and effected a lockdown that stayed in place for around six weeks. On Monday, the ASI had issued a notification allowing monuments and museums under its watch to reopen. The footfall, on the first day, remained tepid with many tourists stating that they were unaware of the reopening or the online ticket mechanism. Delhi has over 70 monuments protected by the ASI, including Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutb Minar, which are also on the list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. At least 13 monuments under the ASI in Delhi requires tickets for entry. The Red Fort saw visitors after nearly five months. The 17th century fort was closed on January 19 on account of the bird flu scare. The closure was further extended after violence broke out at the monument on Republic Day during a tractor rally taken out by farmers protesting against the three farm laws enacted by the Centre. An ASI official, who did not wish to be named, said while most of the repair work had been completed, some minor tasks were left. “Turnstiles need to be placed again. Our vendors will be supplying the same but due to the lockdown, the consignment got stuck near Jaipur. Once the consignment reaches us, work will be completed soon,” said the official. Nasir Ali Khan (33), a businessman from Kolkata, said he was visiting Chandni Chowk when he decided to check if the fort was open for visitors. “This was my first visit to the Red Fort. It was largely empty, so I enjoyed exploring the place,” said Khan. Jitender, a resident of Delhi who also visited the fort on Wednesday, said he was disappointed since there were no tour guides. “It took a while to reach the fort since there were many traffic diversions. Entry is not being allowed from all gates. There were no signboards to inform visitors about the same,” he said. Abhishek Babu (22), a student from Andhra Pradesh, visited Humayun’s Tomb along with his family of five on Wednesday. Though he was not aware of the reopening, he was glad that the family’s efforts didn’t go in vain. “My family enjoyed the experience since we stepped out together after a long time. While there were no crowds, announcements regarding Covid protocols should be made,” said Babu. At Humayun’s Tomb, visitors could only book tickets online and no physical tickets were being issued. Tickets could be purchased from the counters at Red Fort. The lack of information regarding issue of tickets miffed some people. “The online system here is not working well and physical tickets are much more expensive. We saw the tomb from outside and decided to pay another visit on some other day,” said a visitor at Humayun’s Tomb.While the overall footfall remained low for the first day, shopkeepers in and around the vicinity of monuments were relieved. Arvind Jain (60), who owns a souvenir shop inside Red Fort premises, said that something was better than nothing. “We have not earned anything since January. There were no sales today (Wednesday) as well. Tourism needs a push from the government for people to return. Many people are also confused about the ticketing system. Not everyone can purchase online tickets. There are no signboards. People from outside are not able to figure out if the fort is open or not. These issues need to be resolved,” said Jain.

Hindustan Times

16-06-2021

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