Some ticketed monuments get very few visitors

NEW DELHI: The capital has 10 ticketed monuments but at least half of them barely generate any worthwhile revenue for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Barring the three world heritage sites and popular monuments like Jantar Mantar and Purana Qila, ticketed monuments do not have adequate visitor amenities and are not a good source of revenue. Also, there are 13 other monuments that ASI Delhi circle has been proposing to bring under the ticketed category for which a decision is still pending with the culture ministry.
Sultan Ghari's Tomb in Vasant Kunj earns the least revenue. In 2011-12, it earned just Rs 1,550 for ASI which went up to Rs 9,200 in 2012-13. In the latest fiscal year, the revenue went up marginally to Rs 16,025. Khan-i-Khanan's Tomb fared better but still managed to generate only Rs 1,11,830 for ASI in 2013-14 while Tughlaqabad Fort earned Rs 4,25,790. "Tughlaqabad Fort is popular with foreign visitors. Many come to see the fortress as a legacy of the Tughlaq dynasty,'' said an official.
Almost 1,400 foreigners visited Tughlaqabad Fort in the last fiscal as compared with 262 foreign visitors to Khan-i-Khanan's Tomb and only 30 foreign visitors to Sultan Ghari's Tomb.
Conservationists say many of the ticketed monuments have no visitor amenities and are encroached from most sides. They are also in a poorly kept state. For instance, Tughlaqabad Fort has been encroached upon by local villagers for years and ASI has not been able to take action. Sultan Ghari's Tomb rarely gets any visitors due to its remote location.
"Forget visitor amenties, Sultan Ghari's Tomb does not even have a proper approach road. It has been encroached from at least two sides and large portions of the building are decaying from neglect. You need to offer at least some basic facilities in a ticketed monument,'' said an expert.
Assuming that an entry ticket would help in keeping anti-social elements at bay and prevent vandalism, ASI has proposed the names of 13 more buildings to be brought under the ticketed category.
The monuments that have been identified include Hauz Khas group of monuments; tomb of Adham Khan; tomb of Jamali-Kamali; Wazirabad bridge, mosque and tomb; Khirki Masjid; tomb of Sheikh Kabiruddin also known as Rakabwala Gumbad (Lal Gumbad in Malviya Nagar); Asokan Rock Edict in Srinivaspuri; Begumpuri Masjid; Bijai Mandal; and tomb of Wadde Khan, Chhote Khan and Bhure Khan in South Extension. ASI officials said a paltry fee of Rs 5 for Indian nationals and Rs 10 for foreign nationals would not act as a deterrent for those who really want to visit the sites. "The move does not aim at increasing the revenue. The idea is to secure the monuments and prevent misuse. It has been seen that if one has to pay for entering a site, incidents of misuse or of children playing cricket on the grounds become infrequent," said a senior official. Officials said as lakhs were being spent on the conservation of these sites-through landscaping, structural conservation, etc-it was important to make monuments ticketed to secure them.