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ADA promises to double golf carts for Taj Mahal within fortnight
ADA vice-chairman Charchit Gaur admitted that there was a requirement for more golf carts and assured their number would be doubled within a fortnight.
With tourist season peaking, the Agra Development Authority (ADA) is feeling the need for more golf carts that are provided to tourists to reach the gates of the Taj Mahal from assigned parking spaces. The ADA currently manages 40 golf carts, 20 each for eastern and western gates.
ADA vice-chairman Charchit Gaur admitted that there was a requirement for more golf carts and assured their number would be doubled within a fortnight.
Golf carts are provided for free to foreign tourists who pay more for a ticket to see the glorious Taj Mahal. A domestic tourist must pay ₹20 to avail of the facility. The carts run on batteries since no diesel or petrol vehicle is allowed within the 500-meter radius of the Taj in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court. A battery-operated cart can carry 13 passengers at a time.
“As no tonga (horse cart) or rickshaw is allowed to ply near the Taj Mahal now, a tourist alighting at either eastern or western gate parking has to rely on a golf cart to cover a distance of about a kilometre to the Taj gates. While the ADA claims that about 40 golf carts are functioning, in reality only half of them are operative,” stated Deepak Dan, president of the Tourist Guide Welfare Association of Agra.
“Once fully charged, a golf cart can run for about 3 to 4 hours. It is now the peak season and the number of tourists is increasing. So is the number of tourists who have to wait for long for golf carts,” complained Dan.
Gaur, meanwhile, said tenders for new battery-run carts had been floated.
“We plan to double the number of golf carts available within a fortnight. Presently, we have 40 golf carts operating for both gates of the Taj Mahal, and all efforts are being made to have most of them run throughout the day,” Gaur added.
