Visitors entry into Taj may be limited, ASI awaits report

New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) Entry of visitors into Taj Mahalmay be capped with the government considering a comprehensiveconservation and crowd management plan at the 17th centuryMughal monument, which is a world heritage site. Top officials of Archaeological Survey of India said adecision on limiting visits to Taj Mahal complex would betaken based on the study being carried out by NationalEnvironmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). They said ASI will take certain steps to protect thefamed monument, which receives a large number of visitorsdaily. It is understood that among the proposals beingconsidered include cutting the existing visiting hours. ASI has commissioned the Nagpur-based institute toconduct the study to assess the impact of tourist activitieson the monument on a long-term basis as also environmentaleffects on it. "The NEERI study, for the first time, would also give usa report on optimum footfall at Taj Mahal. Once we receive thefinal report on it, we would analyse it and then take a callon deciding the eventual footfall for this monument," a seniorASI official told PTI. Its Director General Rakesh Tewari said, the ASI hasplans for comprehensive conservation and crowd management. "Taj Mahal is a very significant monument and, of course,there are concerns as to the impact of so many people visitingthe site as also the environmental impact on it. "The NEERI in its draft report has suggested severalpermutations and combinations on crowd management and oncarbon dioxide level, among other matters. Now, it is up tothe government to take the final call," ASI Agra CircleSuperintending Archaeologist Bhuvan Vikram said. Following the Supreme Court’s direction, the ASI had in2012 commissioned the study to gauge the Taj Mahal’s "carryingcapacity". Based on the final recommendation in the report,the maximum number of tourists to be allowed to visit themonument will be worked out. Taj Mahal is considered one of the finest specimen ofMughal architecture. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site and was cited as "the jewel of Muslim artin India and one of the universally admired masterpieces ofthe world’s heritage." According to Culture Ministry, 7.43 lakh foreign touristsvisited the Taj in 2012. However, the number fell to 6.95 lakhin 2013 and slumped further to 6.48 lakh in 2014. The ASI had effected a hike in the entry fee to its 32world heritage monuments from April 1 this year. The entry fee for domestic visitors to Taj Mahal is Rs 40and for foreigners Rs 1,000. It includes the ASI fee as wellas the road tax levied by the Agra Development Authority,Vikram said. PTI KND SKSRY