Foreigners must pay Rs 1,000 to visit Taj Mahal

AGRA: ASI on Thursday issued a final notification on the entrance fee hike at India's monuments, doubling it for visitors from abroad at the Taj Mahal from Rs 250 to Rs 500. With another Rs 500 as toll tax, the total money they now need to shell out is a prohibitive Rs 1,000.

Domestic tourists will now have to pay Rs 30 (after adding toll tax collected by Agra Development Authority it will be Rs 40) instead of Rs 10 to visit `A' category monuments, which include the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar. For category `B' monuments, the rates have been increased from Rs 5 to Rs 15 for Indians and from Rs 100 to Rs 200 for foreigners. Interestingly , ASI has introduced a new class for foreigners visiting `A' and `B' category monuments and for this they will have to pay Rs 750 and Rs 300 respectively. For this, they will be provided with additional facilities specified by the directorgeneral. Citizens of Saarc and Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation countries will be charged domestic rates.