ASI bans 'illegal' guides in Agra
Vijay Upadhyay
Agra. Following the cancellation of stay-orders granted to the unapproved guides working at the Agra monuments, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has placed a comprehensive ban on all such guides as well as State-guides from entering the Taj Mahal and other monuments of the town.
According to ASI sources, there were atleast 650 unapproved guides working at the various Agra monuments for the past three years, after having obtained stay orders against their eviction.
Another 200-250 guides were working under authorisation from the State Government's tourism department, which had no jurisdiction over the monuments maintained by the ASI.
Following the cancellation of the stay orders granted to the unapproved guides by the Court, it was decided that such guides shall no longer be allowed to function inside the monument as these guides would provide incorrect and many a times, entirely fictitious information regarding the history of such monuments.
Consequently, the stay guides as well as the State guides have been banned from entering the monument from Thursday.
According to the ASI officials at Agra, they were aware of the fact that there was an acute shortage of the approved guides in the town, especially those fluent in one or more foreign languages while there were a sufficient number of unapproved guides fluent in foreign languages but weak in their knowledge about the history. Therefore, as a temporary measure, such stay-guides had been allowed entry into the monument as "assistant guides", provided they were accompanied by an approved guide and they shall only function as "translators" to the approved guides, for which, they could negotiate for an adequate remuneration from that guide.
This step, they claimed, shall ensure that the stay-guides who were capable of conversing in foreign languages, were able to learn the actual history about the monument and in time, appear for the tests held by the ASI from time to time, for a guiding permission at the monument.
Agra. Following the cancellation of stay-orders granted to the unapproved guides working at the Agra monuments, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has placed a comprehensive ban on all such guides as well as State-guides from entering the Taj Mahal and other monuments of the town.
According to ASI sources, there were atleast 650 unapproved guides working at the various Agra monuments for the past three years, after having obtained stay orders against their eviction.
Another 200-250 guides were working under authorisation from the State Government's tourism department, which had no jurisdiction over the monuments maintained by the ASI.
Following the cancellation of the stay orders granted to the unapproved guides by the Court, it was decided that such guides shall no longer be allowed to function inside the monument as these guides would provide incorrect and many a times, entirely fictitious information regarding the history of such monuments.
Consequently, the stay guides as well as the State guides have been banned from entering the monument from Thursday.
According to the ASI officials at Agra, they were aware of the fact that there was an acute shortage of the approved guides in the town, especially those fluent in one or more foreign languages while there were a sufficient number of unapproved guides fluent in foreign languages but weak in their knowledge about the history. Therefore, as a temporary measure, such stay-guides had been allowed entry into the monument as "assistant guides", provided they were accompanied by an approved guide and they shall only function as "translators" to the approved guides, for which, they could negotiate for an adequate remuneration from that guide.
This step, they claimed, shall ensure that the stay-guides who were capable of conversing in foreign languages, were able to learn the actual history about the monument and in time, appear for the tests held by the ASI from time to time, for a guiding permission at the monument.
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