Delhi’s monuments reopen
NEW DELHI: Delhi’s historical monuments reopened their doors on Monday after a gap of three months but footfall remained abysmally low amid the Covid-19 pandemic and on a day the city crossed 100,000 positive cases. The monuments had been shut on March 17 as the country locked down to contain its spread.
Popular monuments such as Humayun’s Tomb, Purana Qila, Safdarjung Tomb and Qutub Minar, which reopened on Monday, witnessed low footfall. Red Fort will reopen on Tuesday as per its regular schedule.
For instance, less than 60 and 30 people visited Humayun’s Tomb and Purana Qila, respectively, till 5pm on Monday. Till 6pm, Qutub Minar had a little over 100 visitors. Before lockdown, Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun’s Tomb saw over 10,000 visitors per day.
On Monday, visitors were seen taking a stroll on the mowed grass lawns at these places, clicking selfies, or resting on the footsteps. Security guards on the premises ensured people had their masks on at all times.
Several visitors spotted at these sites on Monday said they ended up there by chance. Dheeraj Deshmukh, 23, a UPSC aspirant from Maharashtra, said he had not stepped out anywhere for around three months.
“I was passing by Purana Qila on my way to run an errand when I noticed it was open. I’m glad I decided to visit the place. It’s not crowded like it usually is. The rain made the experience better,” he said.
On Monday, Delhi witnessed light rainfall. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 36.2°C and a minimum temperature of 26.2°C, according to IMD.
Of the 171 monuments protected under the Archaeological Survey of India in Delhi, Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutub Minar are on the list of UNESCO’S world heritage sites.
Preventive measures have been put in place in the wake of the pandemic, including compulsory e-ticketing, installation of thermal scanners and sanitiser dispensers at gates, a cap on the number of visitors, maintenance of records to help with contact tracing, the mandatory wearing of masks, and digital payment. Visitors need to show their e-tickets while exiting the monuments as well. The tickets can be booked through the ASI website.