HISTORICAL SITES REOPEN: DENIZENS EAGER TO VISIT WITH CAUTION
The government recently announced reopening of historical monuments from July 6. As per safety guidelines, Delhi’s Qutab Minar and Red Fort are also expected to allow entry of 1,500 visitors during a particular slot from today. And the decision has been hailed by denizens, who look forward to visiting these sites, albeit cautiously.
“As the city is slowly being unlocked, access to heritage monuments was bound to be given at some time,” opines Ramit Mitra, founder and chief explorer at Delhibyfoot. He suggests having time stamps on tickets to regulate people’s time inside a monument. “If crowd isn’t controlled properly, there will be an issue. At the end, everything is dependent on how successfully people practice social distancing,” he adds.
Asserting that if malls can be reopened so can heritage sites, Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, founder, Heritageshaala, says, “I have plans to visit the monuments when the weather is better. In fact, this is the perfect time for photographers and people who love to research.”
Commenting on plans of noting down numbers of all visitors so that they can be traced, if needed, Rooprai says, “Even though I have battled and recovered from Covid-19, I would still want to go to a monument as it’s peaceful and serene to sit in a lawn!” He, however, feels that the onus of maintaining social distancing lies on visitors.
For denizens who had been missing exploration of serene spots in the Capital, the move has come as a relief. Delhi University student Avni Bhatnagar says, “Two of my friends and I are planning to visit the historical sites and live stream it to the rest of my batchmates!”