CASHLESS Tickets For Visiting ASI Protected Monuments Will Be 30%Less

Purchase of tickets through cashless transaction will cost you less while visiting historical monuments across the country. To boost cashless transaction, the Ministry of Culture has notified new rules making entry tickets cheaper for domestic and foreign tourists to monuments protected by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). As per new tariff rules, there would be 12 to 30 per cent rebate per ticket in digital payment. The ASI has increased the entry ticket price of 17 protected monuments, including six world heritage sites at Agra and Delhi. For B category monuments, the entry fee has been increased from Rs 15 to 25 for domestic tourists while Rs 200 to Rs 300 for foreigners.As per notification, there would be 30 per cent rebate in cashless payment for entry in Delhi’s Red Fort for domestic tourists.National tourists will have to pay only Rs 35 per ticket for cashless transaction, but Rs 50 per head for cash payment for entry to Red Fort.There would be rebate of 12 per cent in case of cashless payment for entry ticket per head for domestic tourists at Taj group of monuments at Agra; Agra Fort, Fatehpuri Sikri monument at Fatehpur Sikri and Humayun’s Tomb and Qutab Minar in Delhi.As per new rate, domestic tourists will have to pay Rs 35 for cashless payment and Rs 40 for cash payment. These monuments are category ‘A’ of ASI.As per new tariff, visitors to Taj Mahal both domestic and foreign will have to shell out an extra Rs 10 and Rs 100 respectively. This means foreign tourists will now have to pay Rs 1,100 for entering the Taj Mahal which includes Rs 500 toll tax collected by Agra Development Authority (ADA) while domestic tourists will have to shell out Rs 50 in place of existing entry of Rs 40. Foreign tourists will also get rebate of Rs 50 for cashless transaction for Taj Mahal. Moreover, SAARC countries visitors will have to pay Rs 540, including Rs 500 toll tax charged by ADA. This is for the second time that the entry fee to Taj Mahal and other ASI protected monuments has increased in the last two and a half years.The entry of Konark temple for domestic tourists increased to Rs 40 which is Rs 10 more than the existing price. The rebate of cashless transaction is Rs 5 per ticket. Similarly, a foreign tourist has to cough up Rs 600 instead of Rs 500.There would be 20 per cent rebate on cashless payment per head to entry at Akbar’s Tomb and Mariam Yob at Sikandra; Itimad-ud-Daula’s Tomb Ramgarh, group of monuments at Melitab Bagh in Agra, Jantar Mantar, Purana Qila, Klian-i-Khana, Tughluqabad fort, Kotla Firoz Shah Kotla and Safdarjung Tomb in Delhi. “The ticket rate for cashless payment would be Rs 20 for domestic tourists while Rs 25 for cash payment. These are ‘B’ category of monument. For foreign tourists, the ticket charge will be Rs 300 per head for cash payment and Rs 250 per head for cashless payment,” the notification said. According to ASI, there would be 16.5 per cent rebate in the ticket for cashless payment.For Firoz Shah Kotla and Safdarjung tomb in Delhi, the rebate for cashless transaction for entry is 12.5 per cent per head.The ASI has 120-ticketed monuments including 32 World Heritage Sites in the country. Those from South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries are treated on par with Indians and are charged accordingly (reproduced from The Pioneer)