Rajasthan monuments, tourist places to open for public from today

JAIPUR: While monuments and tourists places in Rajasthan re-opened with cultural events and performances by folk artistes on Monday, the visitors were not allowed to enter. From Tuesday, the tourists will be allowed inside the monuments free of cost for the next two weeks and will remain open for four days. From the third week till October 31, the tourists will be charged 50 per cent of the total fee.
“In the first week, the tourists will be allowed to enter the monuments on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm. In second week, the tourists will be allowed on the same days from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 to 5 pm. From the third week, the monument will be thrown open to tourists for all days in a week,” said Prakash Chandra Sharma, director, department of archaeology and museum in a statement.
Folk artistes performed at the iconic Hawa Mahal, Jantar Mantar, Aamer, Albert Hall in Jaipur and tourist places in other districts to promote tourism as it resumed after 2.5 months and to attract visitors. On Monday, the monuments were cleaned up and sanitised by the staff and they were asked to maintain social distancing and trained to conduct thermal screening of the tourists.
It will be mandatory for the tourists to wear masks, thermal screening of the tourists will be done and their hands will be sanitised, social distancing will be maintained and the tourists will be allowed to enter in a group of five.
The iconic Hawa Mahal, which is also going to reopen from Tuesday, incurred a loss of 76.85 lakh in the past two-and-a-half months due to the lockdown (since March 18, 2020). In April 2019, the earning was Rs 32.09 lakh and in May 2019, it was Rs 21.82 lakh. From March 18 to March 31 in 2019, the corresponding period during which Hawa Mahal was closed in 2020, the earning was Rs 22.93 lakh.
Sarojini Chanchlalani, superintendent, Hawa Mahal, said, “Cleaning up and sanitisation was done at Hawa Mahal today (Monday). Folk artistes performed in the morning to promote tourism in presence of the authorised guides and other officials. The average footfall at Hawa Mahal is 1,000 per day.”