Agra feeling financial pinch of lockdown

INDIA’S global tourist destination the Taj Mahal which witnessed a daily footfall of thousands of people, now stands secluded after it was shut to the public exactly three months ago due to the Covid-19-induced lockdown.

Taj Mahal is Uttar Pradesh’s main attraction and a major source of revenue for the state’s tourism industry. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, as many as 15 000 to 20 000 foreigners and Indians used to visit the historical site daily.

Superintendent archaeologist Dr Vasant Kumar Swarnkar said foreign tourists were charged 1 300 rupees (R294) each while domestic tourists paid 250 rupees each for the visit but the pandemic has spelt doom for historical monuments and Agra’s economy.

It is the first time that the monument has been shut after the devastating 1978 floods. It was previously closed during World War II, in 1942, and the Indo-pakistan war of 1971.

Mayor Navin Jain had, earlier this month, led a chorus to demand the reopening of the Taj Mahal and other historical monuments in the city, without spelling out the gains when international flights were suspended.

Agra has three world heritage monuments, Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and Fatehpur Sikri, but it will have to wait a little more to see these grand structures reopen.

Sanjay Sharma, president of the Approved Guides Association, said hundreds of guides have suffered financially as tourists have not been visiting Agra since the end of March.

The city, which swarmed with tourists prior to the outbreak, now wears a deserted look. Tourism is the mainstay of Agra’s economy, sustaining hundreds of thousands of people working in hotels, travel businesses, as guides and photographers, in the emporia, “petha” industry.

A big chunk of the population has been hit due to Covid-19 regulations. Ramesh Wadhwa, president of Agra’s Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association, said that hotels, restaurants and travel agents suffered a loss of billions during the lockdown.

“India’s ‘Athithi devo bhava’ is in danger of vanishing forever. Even though businesses have recently reopened, there is no footfall. We are not expecting things to fall back in place until next year, when the vaccine is made for this deadly disease,” Wadhwa said.

“As many as 30 000 to 40 000 craftsmen and 10 000 other people are employed in the marble industry,” Agarwal said.

The city’s “petha” (a sweetmeat) industry also depends largely on tourism and has faced massive losses amid the challenging times.

Rajeev Singhal, general secretary of the Petha Mandi Association, said that the industry employs more than 50 000 people and has faced huge losses.

The pandemic has also dealt a major blow to the Agra footwear industry.