Footfall at monuments remains low in first week of reopening

Delhi has over 70 monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), including Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutab Minar and Purana Qila.

Footfall at some of the centrally protected monuments in the Capital has remainedunder 10% of its pre-pandemic level, since it reopened its doors to visitors on June 16 after nearly two months of a lockdown that was effected to curb the spread of Covid-19. Taj Mahal, in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, has, however, fared better, recording around 20% of its daily footfall numbers before the pandemic.

Taj Mahal, in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra, has, however, fared better, recording around 20% of its daily footfall numbers before the pandemic. (PTI)

Delhi has over 70 monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), including Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Qutab Minar and Purana Qila, which had reopened in July last year following the nationwide lockdown announced in March 2020. This year, they were closed for visitors in April amid a devastating second wave of Covid-19 — fourth for Delhi — that overwhelmed the health care system. ASI officials said they expect footfalls to increase “in the coming weeks”.

As per ASI data, since reopening, Humayun’s Tomb saw an average 631 visitors daily. The footfall at Humayun’s Tomb stayed over 400 on seven out of eight days, recording the highest footfall of 775 and 1,770 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. June 23 saw the lowest footfall, with 365 visitors visiting the tomb, as per data available with the ASI. “In pre-pandemic days, the daily footfall at Humayun’s tomb used to touch 6,000-7,000. On weekends, the number would increase up to 8,000-9,000,” said an ASI official, who did not wish to be quoted.

Qutab Minar saw an average 743 visitors daily from June 16 to June 23, seeing 991 and 1,677 daily visitors on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. In the pre-pandemic days, the average footfall at the minaret used to be around 8,000-9,000 while close to 11,000-12,000 people visited the victory tower on weekends.

Cumulatively, between June 16 and June 23, Qutab Minar saw the highest number of visitors during the week, with the total visitor count touching 5,947, against Humayun’s Tomb nearly 5,050 visitors.

The Red Fort, which re-opened after five months last week, saw fewer visitors -- averaging 152 daily visitors -- compared to other monuments in the city. With the monument closed on Monday, the footfall remained below 200 on six out of eight days. The UNESCO world heritage site saw the most visitors on Sunday when the footfall touched 285.Before the Covid pandemic, the 17th-century fort saw around 6,000-7,000 visitors on a daily basis.

The Taj Mahal, which stayed open only for five days due to the weekend lockdown in Uttar Pradesh, saw an footfalls ranging from 2,000-4,000 since it reopened. Before the pandemic, the monument saw around 16,000-17,000 daily visitors, which rose to 20,000-24,000 on weekends and holidays, said officials.

“While the footfall was relatively low for the first week, we expect an improvement in the coming weeks. If the Covid situation stays under control, the numbers will go up in a month or two. This was the same scenario when monuments reopened last year after the nationwide lockdown,” said an ASI official.