Agra: The Agra Development Authority has cleared a proposal to hike the entry fee for the Taj Mahal for both Indian and foreign tourists.
In a meeting held on Monday, the civic agency passed a resolution to raise the entrance fee of Indian citizens from the present Rs 20 per person for those over 15 years of age to Rs 50. Of this amount, Rs 40 would go to the ADA as road tax and the remaining Rs 10 to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Currently, the Rs 20 entry fee is shared equally by the ADA and the ASI. For tourists from SAARC nations, the entry fee of Rs 510, from which the ASI gets Rs 10 and the ADA Rs 500, has been reduced by Rs 10 in the new proposal.
In the proposal, the entry ticket amount for foreign tourists has been increased from Rs 750 to Rs 1000 with Rs 750 for the ADA and the rest for the ASI, against the current share of Rs 500 for the ADA and Rs 250 for the ASI.
The civic agency has also proposed that only children under five years of age be allowed to enter for free against the present age limit of 15.
The officials said the proposal will now be sent to the state urban development ministry. The cabinet will then put its seal of approval.
This is the third time that a proposal of this nature has been passed by the ADA.
Even after the state government clears the proposal, the final decision rests with the ASI.