Aurangabad leaders demand monuments, tourist sites to remain open amid Covid-19

Instead of a complete shutdown, Aurangabad leaders demand a 50% attendance cap at monuments and tourist sites.

On Tuesday, leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party, the All India Majlis-e-Itthehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), and the ruling Shiv Sena demanded that, instead of shutting monuments and tourism sites in the Aurangabad region, attendance quotas can be imposed. Shiv Sena spokesperson Amabadas Danve wrote to Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, asking for restrictions at certain places, such as a 50% attendance cap, rather than a complete shutdown. AIMIM Lok Sabha MP Imtiaz Jaleel and BJP MLA Atul Save also spoke on similar lines.

Danve said the fortunes of the tourism sector were looking up currently when the Omicron variant surfaced and posed obstacles. "We can put restrictions so that social distancing can be maintained. Many families in Aurangabad depend on tourism. If we can keep wine shops and hotels open, then there should be no problem letting people visit monuments," Save told PTI.

Knee-jerk reactions, such as closing monuments to tourists, would have a significant impact on the tourism sector, Jaleel tweeted. If marriages can take place with attendance limits, why can't these sites be kept open with similar restrictions, he asked.