Sunday Tribune

Agra, ‘city of love’, is sadly neglected

A NEW tourist season is about to begin with World Tourism Day on September 27, but the city of grand monuments that draws over 8 million visitors annually is hardly ready to welcome the guests.

The hospitality industry, including hotels, travel agents and guides, is waiting anxiously for tourists after nearly three years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They are expecting a boom as international travel is now near normal. With the number of international chartered flights and air connectivity with several cities in India going up, the number of tourists is expected to increase significantly this year, say hotel industry captains.

This year, a new beginning is being made. Mayor Navin Jain has announced that Sharad Purnima, on October 9, will be celebrated as the birth anniversary of Agra.

Plans have been drawn up for a three-day carnival. The city will be dressed up for the big show that will include musical performances, processions and cultural events, while the historical monuments will be lit up.

District authorities are expecting UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to attend the annual Ram Lila Barat and celebrations at Janakpuri coming up in the Dayalbagh area.

But even as a new tourist season is around the corner, the city administration is yet to wake up to repair and clean up the roads in the city, which have not only become a safety hazard but also assault visitors’ aesthetics.

The tourism industry leaders are alarmed at the general apathy towards streamlining civic amenities vitally necessary for tourists. When tourists, particularly those from the developed world, arrive in Agra, they are aghast at the dismal conditions. This results in short visits, even same-day returns, by most visitors, via the Yamuna Expressway, say hoteliers.

The rains have exposed the claims of the city administration of having filled all the potholes and completed repair work on most roads.

Municipal corporation officials claim that work on filling potholes is still continuing. Jain has assured the citizens that prompt “remedial measures” will be taken.

The city administration had claimed in June that all drains in the city had been cleaned and there would

be no water-logging anywhere. But in the first two big showers, low-lying areas were inundated.

“At present, water logging is not an issue, as rains have been scanty this year. A shortfall of at least 33% is expected,” said social activist Nitish Shukla.

The biggest problems for tourists are the monkey and the stray dog menace, in addition to cows, say the hoteliers.

The city administration has failed to contain the “simian, canine and bovine nuisance” around monuments, and there have been numerous instances of tourists becoming victims of attacks, says tourist guide Ved Gautam.

Also, city police have failed to demolish encroachments around monuments. The city appears to be in shambles, with garbage dumped along the railway tracks and the Yamuna River bed turning dry, while polluted areas continue to irk visitors.

But sadly there is no sense of urgency among the official agencies entrusted with the task of transforming Agra into a smart city.

TRAVEL

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2022-09-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://sundaytribune.pressreader.com/article/282265259284508

African News Agency