Come and visit Taj Mahal, but with a price hike to preserve the iconic monument

Agra, February 14: Visiting Taj Mahal will now need you to shell out some more cash. This is in purview to preserve the iconic monument. Those visiting Taj Mahal will have to shell out extra from April 1 as the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to introduce Rs. 200 charge for seeing the main mausoleum and also raise the entry fee to Rs. 50/- from Rs. 40/-

The Culture Minister, Mahesh Sharma, has decided that the changes have been effected to “preserve Taj Mahal” and for a better crowd management. As of now, there is no separate fee for entry to the main mausoleum.

A recent report by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), which conducted a study on Taj Mahal’s load-bearing capacity, recommended immediate steps to reduce the number of footfalls into the mausoleum to protect its integrity.

Cultural Minister, Mahesh Sharma said, “We thought capping the number of tourists per day was not a viable option, but we had to do something. The hike in prices is not to generate revenue, but to ensure that only people who are genuinely interested enter the area.”

Mr. Sharma said the Ministry had taken special steps to ensure comfort for foreign tourists who pay Rs.1, 250 for entering Taj Mahal. Separate queues, separate toilets, and a safe corridor will be built for them from the Agra railway station to Taj Mahal in collaboration with the Ministry of Aviation and the Road Transport Ministry

The Supreme Court recently directed the government to submit a vision document on the preservation of the monument within four weeks.