Agra, Dec 31 (PTI) To manage surge in tourists visiting the Taj Mahal on the New Year, the Agra police have taken a slew of measures which include deployment of a quick response team near the premises of the monument, officials said on Tuesday.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Agra Circle, has cancelled leaves of its staff deployed at the monument.

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According to officials, about 40,000 tourists are visiting the monument daily since the start of December and the number could further rise on Tuesday, the eve of New Year, and the following day.

"Huge footfall of tourists can be seen these days at the Taj Mahal. The monument will witness such rush till January-end," Prince Vajpayee, senior conservation assistant at Taj Mahal, told PTI on Tuesday.

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"To tackle the rush, leaves of the ASI staff have been cancelled. If needed, we will deploy more staff," he said.

Syed Areeb Ahmad, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Taj Suraksha and Traffic, said, "Special arrangements have been made to tackle tourists' rush since December 25 and mainly during this weekend. We have deployed a quick response team near the Taj Mahal premises."

Besides alternative parking facilities, measures have also been taken to help tourists reach the Taj Mahal avoiding traffic, the ACP said.

Policemen in civil dress will be deployed to minimise drunken driving cases, and prevent any nuisance on the roads, Ahmad said.

Meanwhile, Rajeev Saxena, President of the Tourism Guild of Agra, said that the rise in domestic tourism in Agra is a testament to the city's enduring appeal as a favourite tourist destination.

He also said that at present foreign tourists account for 10 per cent of the total footfall at the Taj Mahal.

A government-approved tour guide, Shakeel Rafiq, said that the monument has witnessed a sharp surge in visitors.

"I visited the Taj Mahal with NRI tourists from Chicago on Tuesday. It took a lot of time for us to enter the main mausoleum due to a heavy rush," Rafiq said.

However, Ramesh Wadhwa, President of the Hotel and Restaurants Association in Agra, said, "The rise in numbers of domestic tourists will not help hotel owners, because most of them leave the city on the same day after visiting the Taj Mahal. They return on the same day to their hometowns such as Delhi and Lucknow."

"There should be recreational activities for tourists at night, so that they can spend night in Agra. In the river Yamuna, boat ride facility should be started for tourists," Wadhwa said.

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