Agra: Visitors to the Taj Mahal, both domestic and foreign, will have to shell out an extra Rs 200 to enter the main mausoleum of the world heritage site from Monday.Superintendent archaeologist, ASI Agra circle, Vasant K Swarankar issued a notice in this regard on Sunday. “Tourists from all categories will have to pay Rs 200 in addition to the cost of the entry ticket in case they want to see the main mausoleum,” Swarankar told TOI.Four months ago, the union culture ministry had increased entry fee to the Taj Mahal. Beginning August 8, entry tickets to the Taj Mahal were hiked from Rs 1000 to Rs 1100 for foreign tourists and Rs 40 to Rs 50 for domestic tourists. For tourists from SAARC countries, the ticket cost was increased to Rs 540, including Rs 500 toll tax charged by Agra Development Authority (ADA).The idea to introduce “step ticketing”, where separate entry tickets will be issued for entering the crypt area, was suggested as a “crowd management” measure in a meeting of ASI officials and the Union Ministry of Culture and Tourism on January 2 this year in New Delhi. These tickets will have to be bought in addition to the entry tickets.“We need to preserve the Taj Mahal for the generations to come. A separate ticket of Rs 200 will be needed to enter into the main mausoleum at the Taj Mahal, to ensure better crowd management and protection of the area,” culture minister Mahesh Sharma had said in February.A recent report by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), which had conducted a study on the Taj’s load-bearing capacity, had recommended immediate steps to reduce the number of footfalls into the mausoleum to protect its integrity.

Stay updated with all the Agra Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.