Agra tourism industry demands government to reopen the Taj and other monuments to tourists

It’s been quite some time that the popular Indian monuments, including the world-famous Taj Mahal, have stayed shut to tourists given the COVID-19 pandemic. But, after things have started reopening in the country, the tourism industry is now demanding the government to reopen the Taj and other important ASI monuments to tourists.

The closure of Taj has been a prime concern for the tourism industry in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, as it has suffered a great financial loss. Thus, the Agra tourism industry has raised concern with the Indian government, wanting to know the reason behind the closure of the Taj Mahal and other monuments while malls and other places are reopening.Rajeev Saxena, vice-president of Agra Tourism Guild said, “By opening the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) monuments, a positive message will go across the globe that the situation in Agra is approaching normalcy.”
He said that as the recovery rate of Coronavirus cases has increased, and it is time to reopen the closed monuments.

Agra Tourist Welfare Chamber President Prahald Agarwal agreeing to Mr. Saxna said that instead of shutting the monuments, the government should start planning safety guidelines.
Tourism industry’s representatives believe that the industry is already facing a difficult time and they are unhappy with the government as they are not being provided any assistance. Last month, they demanded 50 per cent payment of salaries of at least half of the employees who work for hotels, resorts and restaurants so that their jobs could be saved but nothing was done to help them.