Growing Human Load Seen As Threat To The Taj


AGRA: More than 200,000 people visited the Taj Mahal in two days over the weekend, causing alarm among conservationists who feel the ever-increasing human load on the fragile white marble wonder on the banks of the Yamuna could prove detrimental to the health of the monument to love.

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan wanted it to be a place of peace and tranquillity, but the 17th century Taj Mahal sees a daily influx of nearly 12,000 visitors. By the end of the holiday bounty that began Thursday and will end Monday evening, tourism industry souces say, close to 300,000 people would have visited the monument. This includes hordes of those under 15 who enjoy free entry.

Conservationists in the city demand that the Archaeological Survey of India must come up with a plan to regulate the tourist inflow.

More than six million tourists visited the Taj last year. And the numbers are expected to shoot up as a new tourist season begins Sept 27, World Tourism Day.

With so many people crowding around the monument, it is natural that the overall load will increase. Then, there is an additional problem of people touching and feeling the marble structure.

Historians like R. Nath have repeatedly expressed concern after reports that no one has been inside the basement to see the state of the foundation for the last so many years. With the Yamuna receding several hundred feet away and with hardly any water left in the river, we could be inviting trouble for the monument, local activists feel.

READ MORE: Want To Highlight Cheekbones, Try Contour Make-Up and Indian Nautch Girls Inspire JJ Valaya's Finale at IBFW

Source: IANS