Stray animal menace looms large in Agra as ASI declares of free entry to the Taj

After the Archaeological Survey of India announced that the Taj in Agra would have a free entry from August 5 to 15, the stray animal menace started worrying the tourism sector,

After the Archaeological Survey of India announced that the Taj in Agra would have a free entry from August 5 to 15, the stray animal menace in the city started worrying the tourism sector.

The Taj Mahal is considered to be one of the most expensive historical monuments in India, with entry tickets that can go as high as Rs 1,300 for foreigners and Rs 250 for Indian tourists.So, when the Archaeological Survey of India announced that the Taj and other monuments of Agra would have a free entry from August 5 to 15, phones at the front offices of Agra hotels started ringing endlessly, with tourists inquiring about reservations.

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Talking to India Today, Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber Secretary Vishal Sharma said the tourist season is starting soon.

The free entry will have a positive impact on the tourist traffic to the city, he said.However, at present, he said, not just the Taj Mahal, but all the other monuments of Agra are facing a major monkey menace, with tourists frequently getting injured in monkey attacks. Also, clean drinking water is not readily available in most monuments, and during the Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, clean water will probably be the real 'Amrit' for the tourists, he said.Sharma appealed to the civic bodies and administration to take concrete steps to get the monuments cleared of monkeys and stray dogs in the interest of safe tourism.Social activist Amir Qureshi also expressed similar concerns and said the road to the Taj Mahal's East Gate was filled with stray dogs and cows that frequently injured tourists. These animals should be removed from the path of the tourists who wish to walk down to the Taj Mahal and enjoy the local scene, instead of taking the battery-run vehicles, he said.He said if the administration was unable to arrange for the removal of stray animals from the monuments and their vicinity, it should allow social organisations to take up the mantle and protect Agra's image among the tourists. Amir said that the Taj Mahal alone earns crores of rupees every year for the government, but a very minuscule percentage of that money is spent on the welfare of the tourists, who are the source of this income.