Centre starts assessing security and lighting at monuments in Delhi

The Safdarjung Tomb and the Humayun’s Tomb are two monuments in Delhi which will be open to public till 9pm.

Two days after the Centre announced the extension of entry hours to 10 monuments in the country, the administration has begun assessing security and lighting measures at these monuments.

The Humayun’s Tomb (above) and the Safdarjung Tomb are two monuments in Delhi, which will be open to public till 9pm. (HT FILE)

“Assessment is being made on the basis of individual monuments. Some have a large area and some are small. Some have a lot of trees and vegetation inside the premises, while others require tourists to walk around through several passage ways. Therefore security measures have to be taken looking at the individual requirement of the monuments,” an official from the Archaeological Survey of India said.

“Although we have not decided on a date, the process has begun and the monuments will be open to public till late hours very soon.”

The Safdarjung Tomb and the Humayun’s Tomb are two monuments in Delhi which will be open to public till 9pm. While the Safdarjung Tomb underwent complete illumination in July this year, the dome of the Humayun’s Tomb was lit in September last year. As informed by the ASI, the Tughlaqabad fort and the Qutub Minar will also soon be open to public till late.

“It is a very good step and I would definitely want to take people for walks in these monuments in the evenings so that they can experience the beauty of the atmosphere there in the later hours,” said Jaya Nagar who has been leading heritage walks in Delhi since 2009.

“However, the government needs to ensure a lot of security inside and we need to keep a vigil on the people going in. Otherwise, keeping these monuments open till later hours can turn into a big nuisance,” she added.

Speaking about the kind of measures being planned to ensure security within the premises of the monuments, the ASI official stated that number of guards will be increased and entry will be restricted in a way that everyone is in public view and is consistently monitored.